FINAL FANTASY: Revenge From Beyond The Grave
by Laguna1
Summary: Duncan's wife and kids are kidnapped by Tevarion, the late Jennai's second-in-command. Duncan rushes to their rescue but he's gona need all the help he can get because the enemy has something called 'HYPERION'...
1. Default Chapter

FINAL FANTASY  
Revenge From Beyond The Grave  


By _Laguna

* * *

Prologue  
Plan Of Revenge

  
Several years ago in Neron Continent, rebels had waged a guerilla war against a modern city named Lakoya City. The battle had been terrible. Many of the rebels of Dyenso village had perished when the Ki Ray had been used. The city commander had built the city on top of the Celestial Dragon's habitat, forcing it into hiding. The dragon had split itself up into two small statues, the Earth Dragon and Sun Dragon.  
The rebels had tried many sabotage attempts. Some had worked, some hadn't. The rebels were desperate to win this guerilla war.  
That changed when Duncan Skywalker had come along. He had helped them out. But the commander, Jennai, had some tricks up his sleeve. He had assembled an army of genetically identical soldiers he had designated 'the Jennai Soldiers'. They had worn black uniforms and helmet with a green blast shield.  
Duncan and the village chief's daughter, Talinn had searched and found the two dragons. The actual triggering of the transformation had been accomplished by Nicky, a young boy who had been playing with the two little dragon statues.  
Then, the showdown had begun. Jennai's space station, which he had designated 'Sigma Station' came into play. A brilliant energy beam had come soaring down at the village. The Celestial Dragon had agreed to help and blocked the ray with one of its own. The Dragon had had help from Skywalker who was recovering deep inside the Lifestream from a badly injured shoulder.  
Jennai had been furious when he saw his station destroyed. He invaded the village and held the villagers at gunpoint.  
Skywalker had come out of the Lifestream with a fully healed shoulder and together with Nicky he stopped Jennai. Nicky had sabotaged Jennai's laser weapon and had run away as fast as he could. Duncan had taken care of Jennai in an intense fight.  
Now, all that was gone. Duncan had continued his journey and Talinn and Ringo had gotten married.

The woods of Neron Continent were as dense as ever. Actually, this was officially called Grandini Forest. The locals liked to call it Neron Continent. Where Lakoya City had been, no trace of it could be found. The city had been totally overgrown. On some places, patches of the city's gleaming metal were visible, however very scarsely.  
One such place had a gaping hole in the ground. It led to a deep underground bunker designed to withstand an impact from Sigma Station's beam cannon. All these years, it had survived. Next to the entrance, two soldiers stood in black uniforms and helmets with a green blast shield. The two had blaster rifles and eyed the surrounding area unceasingly.  
Deeper inside, the bunker was filled with soldiers, all in the same black uniform and helmet. Jennai Soldiers who were listening to someone standing in front. Behind him, filling the entire wall, hung a huge portrait of the late Commander Jennai.  
« Men ! » Commander Tevarion boomed. The soldiers snapped into attention. « You are the last remnant of Commander Jennai's force. And I'm proud to have such fine soldiers under my command. »  
The soldiers stood silent, taking in his every word. Tevarion had been Jennai's second-in-command. He had been away on a mission. When he had come back, he had come home to destruction, for the Lakoya City he had known was gone, along with Sigma Station. Both destroyed by the rebels who had had help from Duncan Skywalker. When Tevarion had heard about this, he had sworn to avenge Jennai's death.  
« Now that I have enough men I can avenge his death. » Tevarion's gaze sweeped over the rows of soldiers. « With you guys I plan to get even ; and maybe more. Therefore we need a plan. A well-thought plan, for our enemy is to be considered dangerous. »  
Someone raced up the stage and whispered something in Tevarion's ear. « Commander, the Project is progressing as scheduled. »  
« Excellent. » he grinned. « You hear that, men ? Our Project is on the right track. »  
The Jennai Soldiers remained silent.  
« So ? Any updates ? »  
« Here, sir. »  
« Thank you »  
Tevarion took the printout and read it completely.  
« Interesting. » Tevarion smiled. He turned back to his men. « Now as for our plan »  
« If I may, sir I have a suggestion. » Tevarion's second-in-command, Burke began. The commander nodded and stepped aside.  
« The latest reports on Skywalker have just come in. It seems he has a wife and two kids and settled down in a seaside town named Oregonia. »  
« That's all very fascinating, but what has that to do with our plan ? » Tevarion asked.  
« I was getting to that part, sir. I suggest we hit him on a sensitive spot by taking away that which he holds dear. His wife and kids. When we have them, we'll lure him here and then well, I guess Commander Tevarion can have his revenge then. »  
« Well thought of. » he complimented. « Get our contacts in nearby towns on the comm and order them to stand-by. If Skywalker interferes, they have to keep the plan secret at all cost. »  
« Yes sir. » Burke ran off to the comm system and relayed the order. He did it swiftly and with no questions asked.  
« As for you men, dismissed. Hail Jennai ! »  
« Hail Jennai !! » The soldiers repeated as one man and scattered, tending to various duties until the time came to depart.  
They'd go by air, Tevarion reasoned and when they got the hostages, they'd transport them over land inconspicuously to the nearest port where they would take a hovercraft.  
He rubbed his hands. He wished he had them already.

The time to depart had come. Row after row of Jennai Soldiers came out of the bunker and spread out. Then, they climbed into trucks which took them to the nearest airport.  
On the airport's runway, a Lakoya jet stood standing by, already fueled up and ready to go.  
« All right men ! » Teverion yelled over the loud whine of the jet's engines. « All aboard ! Move, move ! »  
The soldiers jumped out of the trucks and ran to the open hatchway in the back of the plane. The hatch closed and the plane took off, setting Tevarion's plan in motion.

Cruising at 11,000 feet altitude, the plane knifed through the sky like a hot knife through butter. Inside, the soldiers sat staring in front of them. Some were reviewing the recently uploaded files on Skywalker and his family on the screens incorporated in the green blast shield.  
« Sir. » Burke sat down next to Tevarion. « A question, if I may ? »  
« Go ahead. » Tevarion said.  
« What do we really know about Skywalker, except the files we just recovered ? »  
« He's dangerous, that's for sure. »  
« We already know that, but I have a feeling there's more. »  
« Most of the files were gone with the city's and Sigma Station's destruction. However, in some shards of files I discovered that Skywalker can use the Lifestream as he sees fit. »  
« The Lifestream ? » Burke stared at his commander in disbelief. « But I thought that was just a story. »  
« Then you have thought wrong. » Tevarion said while eyeing Burke. « The Lifestream is as real as you and me. And Skywalker has the ability to influence it. »  
« How do you know ? »  
« In the same shards of data, I uncovered that our late commander had modified the city reactors to process this energy. Power output doubled. But Skywalker interfered and put the power couplings in reverse mode. The result was that the city lost another reactor and our commander had to relocate to Sigma Station. »  
« Amazing. » was what Burke could say.  
« Indeed. » Tevarion admitted. « But we can't let Commander Jennai's work be forgotten. »  
The plane banked and chose a new heading.  
« No, we can't. » Burke amended. « We will do our best, sir. »  
« I expect no less. » Tevarion smiled.  
The jet went down and came in for a landing at Shenaha Airport a few dozen miles from Oregonia. There, the soldiers jumped out of the plane and formed row after row, according to the batallion they were in.  
A special squad hopped into the back of a truck painted in camouflage colors and headed out. The remainder of the soldiers set up a defense barrier should there be any problems.  
The truck headed up the local highway and headed for Oregonia where their target was.  
Commander Tevarion had given them their orders and let them proceed when they found it was time.

* * *

I  
Lifestream Insight

  
_**Oregonia**_  
The town was quiet for this time of the year. The port however, was as busy as ever. The town stood not far from the cliffs. Near those cliffs stood a single house in the neighborhood of a small forest. Near it stood a small windmill and a cartwheel in a river. This was Duncan Skywalker's house.  
Several years ago, he had helped a few people get home who had come through a portal-like phenomenon into their reality. The reality they had come from had been a parallell one to their own. Cloud Strife and some of his friends had been investigating a partially functioning Mako reactor in Midgar City when a Lifestream energy spike had been hit three times by lightning. The result was that a gap in the reality barrier had been formed through which they had been transported.  
A Shinra executive had also been transported that went by the name of Heidegger. He had put the Galbadian army back on their feet and had ordered them to build the first Mako reactor because he had thought he'd found the Promised Land, which was rumored to have unlimited supplies of Mako energy. The final battle had been near Balamb Garden where they beat Heidegger and his huge robot machine. And there, in Garden, Duncan had found his second wife, Moira Luna. The two got married and had two kids : Lucas and Catherine.

Now, the kids had grown up into their early teens. There was a striking resemblance between Lucas and Cathy that Duncan sometimes had called them the 'Lifestream Twins'.  
Skywalker sneaked around a bush as quietly as possible. He'd heard something behind this specific bush. He jumped around it and found no one. In his hand he held a cheap wooden imitation of a sword.  
« Dammit. » he swore silently. His own kids had given him the slip. This couldn't be. He losing from his own two kids ? His own flesh and blood ? Nearby he heard silent laughter.  
_So, you want to play it that way ? Fine with me._ He sneaked to the source of the laughs as silently as a ghost. He was nearly there when Lucas came storming out of the bushes with his own wooden sword ready to strike. Both of them had sensed each other. Duncan deflected the blow, whirled and tapped Lucas on the back of his neck.  
« Gotcha. You just lost your head, son. »  
« Arrgh, no fair. You always win, dad. » he complained.  
« That's because I use everything I've got. » Duncan smiled. « I keep my eyes, ears and mind open. »  
Lucas harrumphed. His father slapped him playfully on his back.  
« Now, where's your sister ? »  
« I wouldn't know. » Lucas shrugged.  
« I knew you were going to say that. »  
« You gonna catch her too ? »   
« Yep. Watch and learn. » Duncan entered the small forest with Lucas following. Duncan let a twig snap and hid. Two seconds thereafter, Cathy came to investigate, her wooden dagger ready for anything. When she had her back towards him, Duncan jumped up and grabbed her wrist and waist and lifted her up in the air while she screamed to be put down. Duncan put her down.  
« Dad, that's the umpteenth time you've won. » she complained.  
« I know. He said the same thing. » Her father pointed over his shoulder at Lucas.  
« It ain't fair. » she crossed her arms.  
« Is there anything you two have noticed ? » Duncan asked. « Sensed anything ? »  
« Not really. I heard a twig snap. »  
« That's your curiosity. » Duncan said. « You're too curious and that's how I could lure you to me. I just used your own curiosity against you. »  
« I didn't sense anything. » Lucas said.  
« Exactly ! » Duncan whirled around to face his son. « I masked my presence within the Lifestream so you two couldn't find me. Cathy, I was this close to you. » He showed a space of about half a meter.  
« Do you three warmongers have time for dinner !? » a voice yelled.  
« Coming ! » Duncan yelled back and with his two kids he went back to the house.  
« What's cooking ? » he asked after kissing his wife.  
« Chicken. » she said. The kids cheered and ran inside. « Their favorite. »  
Duncan closed the door behind him, hung his coat on the hook on the wall next to the door and went to the living room. There, on the wall hung his Daïkatana. While he looked at the oriental weapon, fragments of past adventures flashed before his eyes. The Shaolins, his training in the Western air force, the polar ice caps, Jennai's city, the Celestial Dragon and finally Balamb Garden.  
Moira came into the living room and noticed him standing there.   
« You okay ? » she asked when she saw him look at his sword with a faraway gaze. « What's on your mind ? »  
« Nothing, really. Memories. »  
« Dinner's ready. » she said and went back to the kitchen. After dinner, they watched some tv. But because there was nothing on, they went to bed early.

That night, Moira's head lay on Duncan's shoulder. « When will our kids come into contact with the Lifestream ? »  
« I have no idea, but I think it'll happen real soon. »  
« What kind of an effect will it have on them ? »  
« Well, they'll gain insight in the totality of the panet and all life on it. That's about it in a nutshell. »  
« That's good. » Moira said before she drifted off to sleep. Duncan kissed her lightly on the forehead. She was sleeping like a log.  
In their rooms, the kids were also sleeping like logs. If one knew where to look, that person would notice a similarity in the Skywalker family : their eyes. All four had the same blue-green eyes. When Duncan had rescued Moira from Heidegger's robot machine, the rings he had came into contact with Lifestream energy. When he had married her, she'd gotten the same kind of eyecolor as her husband. The kids had the same eyes when they were born.  
Everything was silent in the house. But that was going to change.  
Only Lucas and Catherine heard it.  
_Lucas Catherine come to me._  
As if possessed, the kids opened their eyes and got out of bed. Both of them had a distant look in them. They went downstairs as silently as ghosts and out the front door.  
The two went to the small forest. Just outside it, a Lifestream energy pool appeared. He kids jumped in and the hole closed. In his bed, Duncan smiled. The time had come.

The kids descended deeper and deeper into the Lifestream. At the right time, they were released from whatever grip was holding them. The two seemed to come out of some sort of trance.  
« What happened ? » Lucas asked, looking around. « Where are we ? » They heard Lucas' voice echo.  
« I think this is the Lifestream. » Catherine said. « But I'm not sure. Father has never shown it to us. »  
_You are correct, Catherine_ a voice said. It seemed to come from everywhere and all around them.  
« Who's there ? » Lucas asked in a demanding voice.  
_I am the force that governs the life-bringing energy. I warned your father of dangers to come in the near future._  
« Really ? » Lucas asked.  
_Yes_.  
« I wonder what dad's previous wife looked like. » Catherine wondered.  
An image resolved in front of them. The image looked exactly like their mother.  
« They're they're identical. » Catherine gasped. The image wavered and disappeared.  
_Indeed. It's a rare occasion to find an identical person who looks like the one Duncan had lost._  
« Why are we here ? » Lucas asked.  
_I brought you here so you'd gain insight into life and the planet and its totality._  
A blue-green halo surrounded the two kids. Both of them closed their eyes as, in their mind, they soared across green meadows, past high mountains, down deep valleys and over cities. When they opened their eyes again, they felt something different. The force of the Lifestream.  
« That was great. » Lucas smiled. « What a ride. »  
« We must've seen the entire planet in an eyeblink. » Catherine said.  
_Time for you to go back._  
Lucas and Catherine ascended and resurfaced near the small forest close to their home. Lucas yawned. The two went back to the house and got back into bed.

The next morning, the kids were out of bed before their parents. They got dressed and stormed down the stairs to the kitchen.  
« They're lively today. » Moira noticed when she woke up.  
« So I hear. » Duncan amended. « We'd better go down too before they break something. »  
They got dressed and went down to the kitchen and found out that their kids had already set the table.  
« So, what's the occasion ? » Moira asked.  
« Nothing. » Cathy said with a smile.  
« Nothing ? » Duncan asked. « Something tells me you've got something up your sleeve. »  
« Nope. » Lucas said.  
Breakfast was made. After that, Moira cleaned the dishes. Duncan went out the back door. The kids went with him as well. Catherine and Lucas ran past him. Lucas turned back and tapped his father on the leg.  
« Tag, you're it. »  
« Bloody » Duncan swore silently with a grin and chased them. The kids ran into the forest and did their best to mask their presence within the Lifestream. To their father, it seemed their patterns were fading in and out like a strobe light. Then they were there, then they weren't.  
« Where are they ? » he asked himself silently.  
In the meantime, Lucas had found out how to keep his pattern in the Lifestream hidden. He sneaked around his father and, at the right time, charged at him with his wooden sword. Duncan whirled and got hit in his midsection. If it had been a real sword, it would've been a killing blow.  
« Gotcha, dad ! » he cheered.  
« Now, how on Earth ? » He couldn't finish his sentence because Catherine dropped from a tree onto her father's shoulders.  
« Yeah, gotcha too. »  
« How did you two do that ? »  
« We were in the Lifestream last night. » Lucas said.  
« Yeah. » Catherine added. « Some voice called us. »  
« I knew this was going to happen some time. » Duncan said.  
« You did ? » Lucas asked.  
« I even sensed it last night. »  
« It was great. » Lucas said. « We were like flying over the ground, past mountains, down valleys. »  
« Well, you've been granted the force of the Lifestream, just like me. » Duncan said. The two kids gave each other a high-five. « But you need to work on your stealth technique. »  
« But we got it good enough to fool you dad. » Lucas grinned proudly.  
« Yeah, you did. » Duncan slapped him lightly on the back. « Let's go back home. »  
As the three went back home, they didn't see three figures spying on them from behind the trees at the other side of the forest.

* * *

II  
The Plan Proceeds

  
**_Oregonia_**  
« Duncan, could you go get some groceries at the store ? » Moira asked when they got back home.  
« Yeah sure. What do you need ? »  
She wrote down what was needed and handed it to her husband. « Be back in a flash. »  
« Take your time. » she said. « Visit your friends at the bar for a change. »  
« If you say so. » he smiled and went out the door.

Hidden in the foliage, three figures spied on the Skywalker family.  
« Target sighted. » the first Jennai Soldier said, peering through electrobinoculars.  
« Proceed ? » the second asked.  
« Not yet. » the first replied.  
He saw Duncan leave the house and head to town. They waited five minutes, then they went on with the plan.  
« Proceed. »  
They sneaked to the house. All three were armed with stun guns. Commander Tevarion had ordered them to get the hostages alive. The kids were playing outside. Two precision shots and they went down, stunned. When Moira didn't hear them for quite some time, she got worried and went to check on them. When she stepped outside, she felt a pinprick in her neck. Reacting on instinct, she yanked it out. It was a dart. She could feel it take effect. Her vision blurred and a few seconds later, she collapsed on the ground.  
The three Jennai Soldiers took them away to the waiting truck.  
The first put a note on the table. « Target acquired. » he said into his helmet comm system and followed the two other soldiers.

Without knowing what was happening back at his house, Duncan Skywalker strolled through town. He entered the grocery shop where he got the stuff Moira had asked for.  
« Hey Duncan, how's it going ? » Roger, the shopkeeper asked with a sheepish grin.  
« Life's great. » Duncan replied with an equal grin.  
« So it seems. » Rog said. « How are the wife and kids ? »  
« No trouble there. » he smiled. « My own kids beat me in a game of hide-and-seek. »  
« No way ? They got you ? »  
« I'm afraid so. » Skywalker admitted.  
« They sure are growing up fast. »  
« Yeah, too fast if you ask me. » Duncan laughed.  
« Yeah. » Rog sighed. « Time sure flies these days. »  
« Well, I gotta go. » Duncan said, paid Roger and went to the door.  
« You take care of yourself, you hear ! » he yelled after him. Duncan waved and went out.

His next stop was the local bar, 'Jack's Joint'. Moira had told him to visit some friends of his so that's what he was doing. He opened the door and was confronted with dim twilight. Only a few customers were present at the time.  
« Dammit Jack, you should hang some lights in this dump. »  
« Duncan ! My main man. » Jack bolted upright from behind the counter. « What brings you here ? »  
« Visiting a friend, possibly get a drink too. » he smiled.  
« You got it. » Jack placed a cold beer on the counter as Duncan took a seat.  
« So. » Jack leaned on the counter. « What's up these days ? »  
« Nothing much. Teaching my kids the basics of self-defense, the way of nature, that sort of stuff. »  
« I see. By the way, if you call my bar a dump again, I may have to hurt you. » Jack grinned. Skywalker grinned back and took a gulp of his beer.   
« Sure you do. »  
« Come on Duncan. I couldn't win from you. You'd probably send me flying through the bar with some ninja throw or something. »  
« I'll keep that in mind. » Duncan said, still grinning.  
Jack sighed. « Yeah, of course you will. Everything okay with the wife ? »  
« Life's just beautiful. » Duncan said with a wide smile. He took another gulp, downing almost all of the beer.  
« Kids grow up fast these days, don't they ? » Jack asked while cleaning some glasses.  
« Yeah, Rog said so too. »  
« Rog ? You were at Rog's ? »  
« Yup. »  
« How's the old bugger ? »  
« Fine as far as I could see. Still lively. »  
« That's good to know. »  
« Well, I'd better be getting back home. » Duncan finished his beer, paid Jack and went out.

Skywalker walked home. Along the way, he tried to determine where his winged buddy Shirrah was. After a few seconds, he had pinpointed the falcon's location : in the top of a tree almost in the middle of the forest near his house. Now the bird killed his time by mostly sleeping and sometimes hunting to quiet his hunger. The falcon had made the small forest his home and hunting grounds. He decided to leave the bird alone and continued on.  
At last the forest opened up and his house came into view.  
« Home sweet home. » he said to himself and walked in. « Honey, I'm home ! » He went to the kitchen and put the groceries in the fridge. Then, he noticed the house was eerily quiet. Too quiet to his liking.  
He went to the living room. « Moira !? Lucas !? Cathy !? » He looked around. Nothing. « Where are they ? » he muttered and took his Daïkatana which had been hung on a hook on the wall. He went to the rooms upstairs and found no one. « Cathy !? Lucas !? C'mon, this ain't funny anymore ! » He drew the sword out of its sheath.  
He'd searched the whole house and still hadn't found them. He went back to the living room and found the note the first Jennai Soldier had left there. He took it and carefully read it. On it was written in letters cut out of a newspaper:  
_'We've got your wife and kids. No cops or federal police and no harm will come to them.'_  
Duncan felt ice coarse through his veins. Who would want to kidnap his wife and kids ? The list of possible antagonists was long. During his journeys he'd helped a lot of people and had made a lot of enemies along the way. He stormed outside and found three empty casings near a bush. He picked them up and examined them closely.  
« Tranquilizer darts. » he said silently. That meant that what the note said was true ; they were still alive. The question was for how long. He sheathed his sword. Duncan ran back in, grabbed the note and put it in his pocket. Then, he locked the door and ran into the forest.

The truck had driven a long way before reaching the harbor of the next town where a Lakoyan hovercraft was waiting. Commander Tevarion wasn't present at the time. He was in a nearby room taking a nap. Someone went over there to wake him up. A few minutes later, he stood beside the truck.  
« Well ? » he asked.  
« Mission accomplished. » the first Jennai Soldier reported and opened the back of the truck. The three hostages were tied up and still out.  
« Put them in the hovercraft. » Tevarion ordered.  
« Yessir. » Each of the three Jennai Soldiers took a hostage on his shoulder and went to the waiting hovercraft. Two minutes later, they were strapped in and weren't going anywhere.  
After they had been strapped in, Lucas and Catherine were the first to wake up.  
« Where are we ? » Cathy asked, looking around.  
« A hovercraft, I think. » Lucas said, still a bit woozy.  
Commander Tevarion boarded the craft just as Moira woke up. She noticed him and the small army of Jennai Soldiers.  
« Hey, why are we tied up and who the hell are you ? » she spat when Tevarion took a seat near them.  
« Mommy, I'm scared. » Catherine said, eyeing the Jennai Soldiers with a frightened eye.  
« It's okay, just stay calm. »  
« A wise suggestion. » Commander Tevarion said. « As for who I am my name is Tevarion. But you can call me Commander Tevarion. »  
« Why are we here ? » was Moira's next question.  
« Let's just say that your husband and us have some unfinished business to settle. »  
« Unfinished business ? »  
« You three are our bargaining ticket. A reason to get Skywalker to crawl. »  
« He won't. Just you wait and see. » Moira flared. « He'll whoop your asses so hard you won't know what hit you and your army ! »  
« Yeah, you tell 'em, mom. » Lucas said.  
Tevarion merely laughed. « My dear Moira Luna. Do you really think I'd let Skywalker walse right over me ? Think again. He won't do anything stupid while I have his beloved wife and kids. »  
Moira's eyes were wide. « How do you »  
« How do I know who you are ? Well, it's pretty simple. We know all about you. »  
She had a look of defeat in her eyes.  
Tevarion got up. « Prepare for departure ! »  
« Sir, yes sir ! » echoed through the hovercraft and from outside.  
Fifteen minutes later, the hovercraft inflated its cussion and left the harbor after receiving clearance.

While running through woods and over roads, Duncan Skywalker wondered who could be behind this.   
Were it the Yakuza ? No, he'd whooped their butts so hard they'd learned their lesson. Or was it the ANG faction, the group who had opposed to using nanotechnology in medicine. That was also a dead end. The Anti Nanotech Group had accepted nanotechnology when he had made clear that not everything was bad about modern technology.  
He sighed. It was indeed a very long list.  
It also couldn't be the Constructors Union who had wanted to build all over Neron Continent. They had abandoned their plans when he had caused every machine of the Union to be overgrown with plant life.  
But then, a distant memory flashed through his mind, triggered by the memory of the overgrown machines of the Constructors Union.  
It was a memory of a gleaming city commanded by a madman. A madman who had the control of a space station which could incinerate anything.   
Aside from the adventure with SeeD, that was the most recent memory. But it was also a dead end. Jennai had been dealt with. He was gone, blown up with his ship.  
He picked up the pace and headed for the Oregonia train station.  
He had to get help and fast. And he knew just the place and the people for the job.  
Five minutes later, the train sped away. It crossed the green meadows and then entered the tunnel which would take it to a nearby island.  
Balamb Island.  
  
Tevarion was nothing if not meticulous. He had posted Jennai Soldiers in covert places in villages where Skywalker would be most likely to pass through. One was in Oregonia, where he saw him get on the train.  
He took his radio. « Target sighted in Location Oregonia. Target boarded train. Destination unknown. »  
« _Acknowledged_. » came the reply. « _Stay put. Contact me if anything changes_. »  
« Copy that. Out. »

* * *

  
III  
Looking For Help

  
_**Balamb Island**_  
Balamb Garden looked like an anthill. SeeDs were all over the place because it was the time of the annual maintenance overhaul Garden needed to keep functioning as it should. As usual, Squall was coordinating the entire overhaul along with Quistis, Xu and headmaster Cid.  
« Status on the electrical systems ? » Squall inquired.  
« Just finished on them, sir. » a SeeD reported. « Everything checks out fine. »  
His words were barely said or the entire system that powered the lights in Garden failed.  
« They check out fine ? » Squall asked skeptically. « It doesn't look that way. »  
« Must've been a misalignment. » the SeeD wondered.  
« I don't care. » Squall bounced back. « Fix 'em. »  
« Right away, sir. » He ran off.  
« Where's Moira when we need her ? » Cid wondered. « Things were working way better with her around. »  
« I know. » Quistis said. « But she left SeeD, went off with Duncan Skywalker, got married and settled down. »  
« Ah yes, Skywalker. » Cid covered his eyes to shield them from temporary blinding as the lights came back on. « I wonder how he's doing. »  
« Don't we all ? » Xu asked and turned back to the data on the screen of her portable datacube. « Never did get the chance of meeting the guy. »  
« Maybe you will. » Quistis said. « It's been a while since we last heard from them so they're bound to stop by anytime. »  
« Yeah, who knows. » Xu agreed.  
A rumble ran through Garden and alarms went off.  
« What the hell ? » Squall stormed out of Cid's office and took the lift to the third underground level. Rinoa was already there, taking care of the situation.  
« What the hell happened here ? » Squall asked when the doors opened. What lay before them was a warzone. Pieces of a conduit and other debris lay scattered across the floor. Several SeeDs lay on the ground, some badly injured, some lightly.  
« A conduit blew up. » Rinoa reported. « No casualties but serious injuries. We've got to get them to the Infirmary, fast. »  
« Right, the worst cases in the lift and to the Infirmary. » Squall ordered. « Move ! »  
The most badly injured were put in the lift until there was no more place. It soared up to the ground level where Doc Kadowaki was already waiting. She ordered the first batch to be taken to the Infirmary while she waited for the next. Everything was done by the SeeD book. The situation was under control in under twenty minutes.  
« I think we've just set a new record. » Squall said, checking his watch.  
The lift came down and out stepped Zell. « Hey Squall, there's someone who wants to see you on Ground Level. »  
« Who ? »  
« Someone we all know very well. »  
They left the repairs up to the repair teams and took the lift to Ground Level.

Duncan was pacing back and forth near the entrance to Garden. If there was anyone who could help him find his wife and kids, it was SeeD.  
The lift stopped at Ground Level and out came Squall, Zell and Rinoa.  
« Hey Duncan, how's it going ? » Rinoa asked when they met up.  
« Bad. » he said. « Can we talk somewhere ? »  
« The Cafeteria. » Squall simply said.  
« Better call the others. » Duncan said. « This is serious. »  
« Okay. » Squall nodded to Zell who ran off to get the others.  
« You'll have to excuse us for the mess. It's the annual maintenance overhaul. » Squall pointed out as they went in.  
« It's okay. »  
They took a large table and waited for the others to arrive. Within five minutes, Selphie came storming through the Cafeteria's entrance.  
« Heya ! » she greeted. But then she saw Skywalker leaning his elbows on the table, holding his head with both hands and staring down at the tabletop. « What's the matter ? » she asked Squall.  
« We'll know when the rest gets here. »  
The others came in and sat down at the table.  
« Well Duncan. » Squall said, breaking the silence. « You've got our undivided attention. »  
« They've got them. » he said.  
« Who ? » Rinoa asked. « Who's got who ? »  
« They've got Moira and the kids. » Duncan looked up.  
« Oh no. » Quistis gasped.  
« That's terrible. » Rinoa added.  
« Who did it ? » Squall asked.  
« I don't know. » Duncan said and put the note on the table. « This is all that they had left behind. »  
Squall read it and passed it around. « That's not much information. »  
« You sure it wasn't a solo operation ? » Irvine asked.  
« No, definitely not. » Duncan said firmly. « I've been teaching Lucas and Cathy martial arts. It would take at least eight men to take them away. But they were tranquilized. There were more of them. While running to the train station, I saw several tracks leading to or coming from an airport. »  
The others couldn't believe it. Who for pete's sake would want to kidnap Moira and Lucas and Cathy ?  
« Can you guys help me out ? »  
« I don't know. » Squall admitted. « We're still stuck with the maintenance overhaul. »  
« Delegate. » Duncan said. « I don't know who else to turn to. And the cops ain't an option. »  
« I'll see if I can squeeze us out. I'll be right back. » Squall ran to the lift and rode it to Cid's office. Some ten minutes later, he returned. « Okay, we can do it. »  
« Thanks. »  
« So, where do we start ? » Zell asked.  
« Maybe the airport the tracks lead to. » Selphie suggested.  
« If they're still there. » Duncan cut in.   
« It's better than nothing. » Squall said. « We check out those tracks. »  
« Right. » They got up and went to the Parking Lot and took a SeeD van to the train station.  
They boarded the train heading to Oregonia Train Station. It left Balamb Station and soared through the tunnel to Oregonia. The train stopped at its destination a good half hour later.  
« Okay, lead the way. » Squall said once they had disembarked.  
Skywalker took the lead and guided them across the meadows to the dirt road the truck had taken.  
« This is the first time I'm in Oregonia. » Selphie said. « Nice and quiet. »  
« Sefie, don't get too distracted. » Irvine said, bringing her back to the present.  
« Over here. » Duncan kneeled down and pointed at tracks in the muddy soil, which had hardened some time ago. « They seem to go that way. » He pointed along the road.  
« Let's follow them. » Quistis suggested.  
Duncan took the lead once again, followed by Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, Rinoa, and Squall.  
« Where do they lead to ? » Selphie asked, refreshing her memory.  
« To a nearby airport, I think. » Duncan replied. « At least in that direction. »  
They followed the tracks in silence. After a good hour Duncan signaled them to stop. « There it is. » He kneeled behind a bush ; the others followed suit.  
Squall took a pair of electrobinoculars and scanned the airport. A jet was standing on the runway, engines shut down.  
« Here, have a look. » He gave the binocs to Skywalker who also scanned the airport runway. When he saw the jet, he zoomed in. He'd seen that specific design somewhere.  
« There's something fishy about that jet. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think I've seen that design somewhere before. »  
« It looks busy. » Rinoa said when she took a peek through the binocs.  
« It seems that way. » Duncan said. « Or else they're trying to make it to look that way. »

**_Ederad harbor, Neron Continent_**  
The hovercraft carrying Tevarion, his small army of Jennai Soldiers and Moira and the kids fluently slid into the harbor, landed on the beach and deflated its cussion.  
« In-between stop. » Tevarion said. « Now we continue by truck. »  
Moira and the kids were unstrapped and herded to a waiting truck, standing on the beach near the hovercraft.  
« Where are you taking us ? » Moira asked.  
« To our base, my dear. » Tevarion said, then pushed her in the back of the truck. As she was sitting in the back, Moira got a split-second glimpse of her husband kneeling down to inspect some tracks. He was coming. When he would rescue them was still a big question mark. But at least she knew not to give up hope.  
The truck rode over a bumpy road to whatever destination the Commander had in mind. Even the soldiers had to grab onto a handhold. Another hard bump and Catherine, who was sitting in the back, fell out.  
Moira saw it and wasted no time. « Run, Cathy, run ! »  
Cathy got to her feet and saw her mother get a jab in the face from a rifle butt. Lucas just sat there, trying to figure out what was happening. Several soldiers jumped out as the truck stopped. Cathy turned and ran as hard as she could into the woods with her mother's urgent plea to run like hell in the back of her mind. As if guided by some leading force, she zigzagged between the trees and didn't fall. The soldiers, however had more trouble as she saw when looking back for a second.  
Back at the truck, Tevarion swore as hard as he could. Then, his hateful grimace turned into a grin and grabbed his radio. « Get back here. » he ordered the soldiers who'd gone after Cathy. « No one can survive in those woods for long. »  
_Idiot !_ Moira said in the back of her mind. _If you believe that, then you don't really know everything about us._  
She silently laughed when the truck rode on. If Cathy could make it to her father, then everything would work out just fine.

**_Airport near Oregonia_**  
« So, what's the plan ? » Zell asked while Squall took another peek at the airfield through the electrobinocs.  
« I'm working on it. » Squall said, still sweeping over the runway and the control tower. « It's not going to be easy. »  
« We'll work it out on the way. » Skywalker said and sneaked through the bushes to the airfield's perimeter. The others silently followed. They progressed in silence to the fence where Duncan cut a hole into it. Then, one by one, they crawled through.  
They sneaked along the fence to the shadows of the control tower.  
« Well ? » Zell asked impatiently. « What's the plan ? »  
« To find the flight plans of all the planes that have departed here today and yesterday. » Duncan said.  
« Okay, let's go. »  
« Hold on. » Skywalker stopped him. « I'm going. You guys stay on the lookout. »  
« I'm coming along. » Squall said in a determined voice.  
« Me too. » Rinoa added.  
Duncan nodded and moved off to gain access to the control tower's systems with Squall and Rinoa in tow.  
« No fair. » Zell complained.

The three got access to the control tower. There were no flights scheduled for at least five hours so the tower crew had gone out for lunch. In other words : the tower was unmanned. But there was security on the airfield. Duncan raced up the stairs and into the control room. Squall and Rinoa came a few seconds later, out of breath.  
« Don't they have a lift in here ? » Rinoa asked.  
« There is. But activating it would draw the guards' suspicion. » Duncan clarified.  
« I see. » Rinoa said as Skywalker began to search through the computer files. Squall and Rinoa also started to search for the flight plans of the planes that had departed here today and yesterday.  
« Got them. » Squall said.  
Duncan came over to look at the screen. All were regular flight plans to various destinations. But one caught his eye. A certain schedule which stated a jet from Neron Continent had arrived here yesterday. But no plan for departure.  
Skywalker swore silently, erased all tracks, shut off the computer system and ran back down to the others.

* * *

IV  
Finding A Friend

  
Cathy wandered through the woods of Neron Continent. Her father had told them about the vast woods of this continent and of the myriad villages and towns. One such town, her father had said, was Dyenso Village and right now, she was trying to reach that specific village. But she had no idea where it was. Catherine had absolutely no idea which way to go and her connection to the Lifestream had just been made. It was still in its early stage.  
After she'd escaped, Tevarion had ordered his soldiers to be on the lookout for her. Why did he want to kidnap them ? Cathy wondered. Did it have something to do with something her father had done in the past ?  
Her stomach rumbled. She was getting quite hungry from all that running earlier. She found an apple tree and picked a few apples. Two were eaten in an eyeblink, the remaining two she saved for later. She picked another one just to be on the safe side.  
Suddenly, a Jennai Soldier charged out of the bushes to grab her. Catherine wheeled and threw the apple she'd just picked at the soldier. It hit him clear in the visor, spladdering pieces all over the green blast shield. The soldier wiped off the pieces of apple, but Cathy was already gone. When he was wiping off his helmet's blast shield, Cathy had already disappeared in the bush. In the woods, every sound heard seemed to come from everywhere. The Soldier had lost her.  
A bit further she kneeled behind a bush, breathing heavily from the running. Her heart was racing. That was a close call. She'd have to be more careful and to stay off the roads. Maybe she could travel on the local roads, but at any sign of trouble she'd have to hide. That's what she was going to do.  
Cathy got up and moved to the nearest road. She looked both ways. All was clear. But what way ? She flipped a coin she'd found in her pocket.  
« Heads, left. Tails, right. »  
The coin landed on the ground and showed tails.  
« Right it is. »  
She picked up the coin and took the road going east.

_**Airport near Oregonia**_  
« Well ? » Zell asked when they got back.  
« All schedules check out fine. » Duncan said. « But there's one which says that a plane from Neron Continent arrived here yesterday. »  
« Neron Continent ? » Selphie asked.  
« Grandini Forest. » Squall clarified.  
« Oh, right. » she scratched the back of her head. « But that's all woods. Looking for your wife and kids ain't gonna be easy. »  
« I know. » Duncan said. « But I have a few friends there. »  
« Really ? » Quistis asked.  
« Remember the story I told you guys once of my adventure in Neron Continent ? »  
« Yeah, some geek wanted to crush a band of rebels. » Zell slipped in perfectly.  
« That's the one. » Skywalker explained all about Jennai and his Jennai Soldiers. Of how they'd searched for the two little statues that would bring forth the Celestial Dragon. And of course the Sigma Ray implemented in a space station called Sigma Station.  
« Man, you pulled off some big-ass hero stuff out there. » Zell said, slapping Skywalker playfully on the back.  
« The city had to go. It was a menace to the surroundings. » Duncan said.  
« Whatever. » Squall cut in. « We'd better get going or else security'll find us here. »  
They crawled back through the opening they'd made in the fence earlier.  
« Whereto now ? » Rinoa asked.  
« I don't know. » Duncan admitted. In the west the sun was setting. « We'd better get some sleep. »  
« We go back to Garden ? » Irvine wondered.  
« You won't make it before dark. » Duncan said. « We'd better go to my place. »  
« Okay. » Squall agreed. « Lead the way. »  
Skywalker ran ahead to his house with the others in tow.

_**Woods of Neron Continent**_  
Cathy still wandered through the dense woods. Now and then, she came into a clearing where she rested for a few minutes. In this one she'd found some peaches. Three she had eaten and another three she kept for on the road.  
Now, she was sitting on a rock in one such clearing. High above, the sun shone down on her. She'd been wandering for quite some time now. This road had to lead somewhere. In the bush, she'd found a lengthy dagger. When she held it up, it almost looked like a sword in her hand.  
Time to go. Cathy got up and moved back to the road. She looked both ways to check if the coast was clear. When she saw no sign of any danger, she followed the road again.

Several miles further, three figures kneeled in the bush. The first was adjusting some sort of binoculars.  
« Well ? » the second asked.  
« Got it all scoped out, Butch. » the first replied. « Clear sight. »  
« Let me see. » the third said and shoved the first figure aside.  
« Sure thing, Alex. Knock yourself out. »  
« Quit whining, Jeb. » Butch said, rolling his eyes.  
« Okay, okay. » Jeb held up his hands.  
These three men were three former rebels of the Dyenso Resistance Faction. The one which had sabotaged some of Lakoya City's reactors many times and had driven Commander Jennai up the walls with rage.  
« What do you see ? » Jeb asked. Just recently, he'd gotten a promotion to Scout First Class, or 'Sneak' as it was nicknamed.  
« Nothing yet. » Alex said, peering through the binocs at the gap in the rocks.  
« And to think we thought this city was done for. » Butch added. « There's still something going on there down under. »  
« Yeah, luckily there's no more Jennai to worry about. » Jeb said. To this, Butch and Alex had to agree. Commander Jennai had dealt them a few heavy blows with the Ki Ray cannon in the past.  
Right now, the three were checking out an opening which seemed to lead to an underground shelter of a sort underneath of what remained of Lakoya City. « All's quiet in there. » Alex said. « We've been keeping an eye on that opening for nearly all day. Nothing. No activity. »  
« Let's head back. » Butch said.  
« Right. » Jeb gathered the binocs and the rest of their stuff. When that was done, the three went back to Dyenso Village.

« Well ? » Boras, the village chief, asked. Everyone called him 'Chief' or 'the Chief'.  
« Nothing. » Jeb shrugged. « No activity. Nada. »  
« That's impossible. » the Chief rubbed his chin. « Nicky was certain he saw something there. »  
« Well, maybe he was daydreaming. » Alex suggested.  
« Don't think so. » the Chief cut him off. « If Nicky saw something down there, he did see something. »  
« It's not like Nicky to be daydreaming. » Butch added.  
« Why don't we ask him ? » Jeb suggested.  
« Good idea. » the Chief agreed. « Nicky !? »  
A few minutes later, a head poked around a corner. « What's up ? »  
« Get over here, would ya ? »  
Nicky, grown up to his late teens, scrambled around the corner and stopped near the Chief.  
« Did you see something out there ? No matter what ? »  
Nicky scratched his chin as he delved in his memories. « Yeah yeah, I did see something. It was quite dark at that time, but I definitely saw something move. People going into a cavity or an opening to a cave or something. »  
« We've been there all day, scoping out that opening of yours and came up with nothing. » Jeb complained.  
« Give me a break, Sneak. » Nicky shot back. 'Sneak' was Jeb's new nickname because of his promotion to Scout First Class. Not that he liked it, because when Nicky called him that, he turned red-hot with rage.  
« Why you little »  
« Settle down ! » the Chief snapped. « Both of you. »  
The door of a nearby house opened and a head poked around the corner. « What's all this ruckus ? » Talinn asked. She gotten back from her honeymoon a few months ago. Her husband, Ringo, was currently at the blacksmith, getting his blade sharpened.  
« Just a difference of opinion between Sneak and Nicky. » the Chief said when his daughter came over.  
« For the last time don't call me Sneak. » Jeb hissed.  
« Okay, lighten up. » Talinn rolled her eyes, then silently added : « Sneak. »  
« Goddammit ! » Jeb swore out loud. « Oh, I get it. It's a conspiracy, right ? Right !? »  
The others merely laughed.  
« Come on, Jeb. » the Chief said. « There's no conspiracy. Besides, who would want to conspire against you ? »  
« Hm. You guys got a point there. »  
« Tell you what. » Talinn suggested. « Why don't I and Ringo take a look tomorrow and see what we can find out. »  
« Be my guest. » Jeb said and handed her the binocs and the rest of the stuff.  
« Can I come too ? » Nicky asked.  
« Well, it'll be a good chance for you to get some experience in stakeouts. » the Chief said, smiling.  
« Yeah, allright. » Nicky was ecstatic.  
Talinn went back to her cabin just as Ringo came back from the blacksmith.  
« What was that all about ? »  
« Oh, nothing. » she said. « We've got to do a stakeout tomorrow. »  
« Not something Nicky saw. » he complained.  
« Yep. » She closed the door.

Cathy sighed and sat down on the roadside. She'd been following this road for quite some time now. Surely it would lead somewhere, but she was losing hope of finding this village her father had once mentioned.  
She heard a cry coming from above. Cathy looked up and saw a few vultures circle overhead. In the distance came the howling of wolves. Night was approaching. She'd been following this road for quite some time now.   
From behind her, she heard growling. Whirling around, Catherine grabbed the long dagger and faced the threat. Five wolves came out of the bush. Fear seized her and she ran. The wolves wasted no time and sprang after her.  
But no matter how hard she ran, the wolves were catching up. Then, Cathy remembered something her father had said about wolves and such in one of his many lessons. 'If you run into wolves, don't run. They'll catch up when you're tired and then you won't be able to make a stand.'  
She slid to a stop, turned around and faced the wolves, dagger pointed at the nearest wolf.  
The five predators eyed her and growled. One of them sprang at her. She jumped aside and lashed out with the dagger. The blade hit the wolf clear in the side and the animal fell to the ground wailing in pain. The other four wolves hesitated. Another decided to attack. Cathy ducked and the wolf went over her. She got up as fast as she could and kicked the wolf on its behind. Two of them bailed. The two others followed shortly thereafter. They wouldn't go after a snack they couldn't beat. Cathy let out a sigh of relief.  
But what about the one she had wounded. She kneeled beside the wolf which was lying in a small pool of its own blood.  
« Lessee now. How did dad do this ? » she asked herself silently. She held her hand over a clear patch of soil where a small Lifestream energy fountain appeared. Then, she applied small portions of the energy on the wound. The wolf wailed at first, but while she kept treating the wound the wolf became more quiet. After some ten minutes, it was done.  
« There. »  
After a while the wolf jumped to its paws, fully healed. But it didn't attack. Instead of attacking, the wolf went to Cathy and sniffed at her.  
In these dangerous woods, Catherine Skywalker had just made a friend.  



	2. part2

V  
Stakeout

  
**_Skywalker residence, Oregonia_**  
As night was creeping in, the party reached Duncan's house. In the distance, some fifty meters below them, the sea crashed against the cliffs.  
« So, this is Duncan's house. » Rinoa said silently when they had arrived. Skywalker opened the door. He stopped in the hallway and listened for any sign of his wife and kids' return.  
Nothing. Not a sound.  
He sighed and went in, followed by the others.  
« Nice place. » Zell said and plopped down in a stuffed chair in the living room. Skywalker looked outside through the balcony windows at the dark sky and the distant sea. Rinoa came to stand beside him and placed a reassuring hand on his arm.  
« We'll find them. Don't worry. »  
« I know that. » he said, still looking out the window. « I'm wondering who could be behind all this. »  
« I think that schedule of a plane heading to Neron Continent has something to do with it. » Quistis put forward.  
_Neron Continent that's East_ flashed through his mind. Already a row of potential enemies rolled before his mind's eye. _But which one is it ?_  
He turned and went to fetch a torch. Then, he opened the door and went outside, carrying the torch he'd just lit. When he reached Charlene's grave, did he stop before it.  
« What the hell do I do now, Charlie ? » he asked silently. The glow of the torch cast the immediate surroundings in a ghostly flickering look. « Someone kidnapped Moira and the kids and I don't know what to do. Again, I'm faced with the same helplessness as the one I experienced when you died. » He kneeled before the grave. « What do I do ? What do I do ? »  
« What we can do is get some rest and see what tomorrow brings. » a voice came from behind him. Duncan turned and saw Selphie a few paces away. « So this is your first wife's last resting place. »  
« Yeah. » he turned back.  
« Come on. Get some rest. »  
He got up and went back in with Selphie following. A few minutes later, all lights went out, casting the house in darkness.

**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
The central section of the hideout was like an anthill. Several engineers were running around, tending to various systems. Cables and other connecting apparatus were lying on the ground. Obviously, something big was going to happen. Tevarion was looking at the big viewscreen on the wall. On it, data was shown about a project called 'HYPERION'.  
Several levels below, Moira and Lucas sat in a bare cell. The ride to the hideout had been bumpy but not as bumpy as the one where Cathy had fallen out the back.  
Project 'HYPERION' involved the use of many satellites which had been outfitted with retractable mirrors. Most of them had already been launched and put in position around the world in a geostationary orbit. The satellites themselves had been outfitted with a cloaking system which rendered them invisible to any form of detection. Only Tevarion and his men could see them. On the screen, Tevarion saw a launch bay, which was hidden in a hill, open and a rocket shoot out. The rocket was carrying another mirror satellite. The vibrations of the launch made the Command Center rumble. After the rocket was launched, the launch bay closed.  
« Rocket is on course. » he heard someone report. « Boosters have been jettisoned. » On the screen, the image of the rocket bloomed with fire as the four boosters were separated. Then, the second stage of the rocket took over. Moments later, the rocket left the atmosphere. « Separating satellite assembly. » Beeps confirmed the successful completion of the separation procedure. Another satellite in geostationary orbit. HYPERION's completion had just come closer by one step.  
Jennai had had control over Neron Continent. But Tevarion would have control over the entire world.  
HYPERION would see to it.

In their cell, Lucas sat next to his mother, not quite knowing what to believe. Moira, in turn, had an arm wrapped around her son, keeping him close and reassured.  
« What do you think they'll gonna do ? » he asked.  
« Most likely they're going to use us as leverage. » his mother said.  
« Leverage ? »  
« It's like in that movie we saw on tv a week ago. They used hostages to get the others to do what the kidnappers wanted them to do. »  
« And these men are doing that to dad ? »  
« I'm afraid so. » Moira sighed.  
« D'you think he'll give in ? »  
« No, he won't accept defeat so easily. He'll get us out. Count on it. »  
« I'm worried about Cathy. » Lucas said, changing the subject.  
« Me too. I hope she's somewhere safe. »

**_Dyenso Village_**  
The next day, Talinn, Ringo and Nicky were up and ready before the crack of dawn. The three went out into the woods where Jeb had been on stakeout the day before.  
They arrived a good half hour later and set up their stuff. Ringo took the binocs out of his backpack and took a peek.  
« That is one dark hole. Are they really in there ? »  
« Yep. » Nicky confirmed.  
« Sneak's awfully edgy lately. » Ringo said, still peering through the binocs.  
« Sure looks that way. » Talinn looked east where the sky turned orange with sunrise. The land was still cast in a gloomy twilight, making it almost impossible to see very clearly. She took a telescope out of her own backpack and added a light amplification device, or LAD in short. This made the surroundings clearly visible in a ghostly green hue. She peered through the telescope at the now greenish hole but couldn't discern anything.  
« Well, looks like an ordinary cave to me no wait. » She saw two men come out and start to patrol the area near the entrance. « Looks like you were right, Nicky. Someone's down there. »  
« I told you so. » Nicky said, finally satisfied they believed him.  
« The question remains » Talinn looked at the two patrolling soldiers with her eyes. « Who's down there ? »  
Ringo was sweeping his gaze over the immediate area. « You're not going to believe this, but we're close to the remains of Lakoya City. »  
Talinn looked up at her husband. « What ? »  
Ringo merely pointed at something in the distance. « Over there. Behind and above the opening. »  
She adjusted the telescope and took a look. What she saw was a part of one of the many buildings which had once been the pride of Lakoya City, sticking out of the green vegetation and reflecting the rays of the now rising sun. « You think they're Jennai's people ? Those that are still loyal ? »  
« Maybe. Who knows. » Nicky said.  
« Oh great. » Ringo complained. « A perfectly good morning shot to hell. »  
« We'd better warn the Chief. » Nicky suggested.  
« Good idea. » Talinn agreed and packed their stuff. When they wanted to get underway, they heard a noise coming from somewhere near the destroyed city. All three covered their ears to try to withstand the terrible noise which was coming their way. While doing that, they saw a rocket soar up into the sky.  
« We'd better get moving fast. » Ringo said when his hearing had cleared.  
What they didn't know was that HYPERION had come another step closer to completion.

Catherine woke up when the first rays of morning shone down on her. A bit further, lay her newfound friend. The wolf also woke up with the first rays of morning. The wolf came at her and licked her cheek.  
« Hey, knock it off. » she laughed. « We haven't really decided on a name for you. »  
The wolf cocked his head.  
« How about Jackson ? » The wolf laid down on the ground.  
« Okay, not good. » She tried again. « Archibald ? »  
The wolf whined a bit, as if trying to say 'Give me a break.'  
« Archie ? »  
This time, he looked up with clear eyes.  
« Then Archie it is. »  
She got up and moved off to the road with Archie in tow. Cathy wondered what village her father had mentioned a few months ago. Then she remembered.  
« I bet you don't know the road to Dyenso Village. »  
Archie lowered his head and started to sniff the ground, searching for something. He stopped and growled at some bushes. Cathy heard the distinctive whine of power drills and other machinery. Silently, she moved to the bushes and pushed them aside for a bit, enough for her to take a look. What she saw were the same kind of soldiers that had kidnapped her mother and brother. They seemed to be working on some kind of immense machine which was inside an open camouflaged bay.  
« What's this ? » she wondered.  
The soldiers moved off and got in a truck. It drove off to get another part which they couldn't bring along with the earlier load of parts. Taking the chance, Cathy jumped out of the bushes and ran to the visible part of the machine. A catwalk ran to the circuitry assembly where the access panel was still open. It stood in the middle of the bay. She peered inside at the jungle of wires and silicon computer cards. A single bright red card got her attention.  
« I bet this thing's critical to whatever this is to function. » she said and yanked out the red card. Then she pushed some wires over the place where the red card had been. After that, she got out of there.  
The soldiers came back and continued to work.  
Well away, Cathy kneeled in the bush and examined the red card she'd taken. It was a simple red silicon computer card. On it stood in white letters : HYPERION CONTROL CARD.  
« This really has to be important. » she mused and put the card away. A good thing she'd covered up the gap where the control card had been. They'd only discover it when they ran a test or when it was too late.

Back at Dyenso Village, Talinn, Ringo and Nicky stormed through the gates. The three immediately ran to the Chief's house.  
« Well ? Find anything ? » he asked.  
« Nicky was right all along. » Talinn said, catching her breath. « Someone's down there. »  
« Do you guys know the exact location ? » the Chief asked.  
« Believe it or not, » Nicky said. « it's close to the remains of Lakoya City. »  
« Lakoya City ? » the Chief nearly fell off his chair. « Are you sure ? »  
« We're as sure as we can be. » Ringo said. « We've seen two men patrol near the entrance to the underground area. »  
The Chief rubbed his chin, thinking this situation over.  
« So ? » Nicky wondered. « What do we do now ? »  
« We sit tight for the time being. » the Chief finally said. « We keep on scoping out that entrance and see what's up. »  
« By the way, whoever's down there, is planning something big. » Talinn added. « We saw a rocket launch out of some kind of underground bay. What it is, I don't know. »  
« Better pray it's not something Jennai has left behind. » Nicky said.  
« We'll see, Nicky. We'll see. » Talinn said.  
« I'll send Jeb, Butch and Alex to replace you guys. » the Chief suggested.  
« Good idea. » Ringo flapped out. « Now we can get some rest. »  
The three moved off to get some rest, while the Chief went to inform Jeb and the others.

* * *

  
VI  
The Search Begins

  
_**Skywalker residence, Oregonia**_  
All seven sat at the table in Duncan's house. Already, the sun was climbing in the east. Everyone had had some breakfast and were now trying to figure out what to do next.  
« What do we do now ? » Zell asked.  
« I bet it's got something to do with that jet that had landed the day before yesterday. » Irvine added.  
« What if we check out the nearby towns ? » Rinoa suggested.  
« That might work. » Duncan said.  
« Come on. » Squall got up. « Let's check out the towns. It's better to do that than to just sit here. »  
Skywalker also got up. « Point well taken. Let's go. »  
They got up and went to the nearest town after Duncan had locked the door.

**_Makobre Town_**  
A good hour later, they reached the nearest town. It was similar to Oregonia but there wasn't any harbor which made the town look relatively quiet.  
« Okay, we've reached the nearest town. » Zell pointed out. « What's next ? »  
« Why don't we go to the inn and see what we can find out. » Quistis suggested.  
« Good idea. » Squall amended. « The inn is the most probable place where a lot of information is shared. »  
« Then what are we waiting for ? » Selphie said and headed for the inn. Along the way, they passed several stands where people offered stuff for others to buy. Clearly it was market day.  
« Seems lively. » Rinoa said as they walked through the busy streets.  
« It's the weekly market day. » Duncan pointed out.  
« There's the inn. » Irvine pointed ahead.  
« Howdy folks. » the innkeeper greeted as they entered. Then, he caught sight of Duncan closing the door. « Well well, Skywalker. It sure has been a while. »  
« Sure is, Sam. » Duncan replied.  
« So ? What can I get you guys ? »  
They ordered a drink and sat down at a table in the corner. Sam took a seat next to Duncan.  
« Well, what brings you here ? »  
« Sam, I know you keep your eyes and ears open. » Duncan began. Sam only nodded. « Now, have you seen anything unusual in the past few days ? No matter what ? »  
« Depends. » Sam replied. « What're you looking for ? »  
« A truck. »  
« A truck ? » Sam's eyebrows went up. « A lot of trucks pass through here almost every day. I'll have to dig into my memories for that. Why do you want to find a truck ? »  
« Some assholes kidnapped my wife and two kids. » Duncan said.  
« What ? » Sam stammered. « You sure ? »  
« Sam, if I wasn't sure I wouldn't be sitting here. »  
« Okay, yeah. Forget I said that. No offense. »  
« None taken. »  
Sam got up. « Look, I'll ask around and try to remember. Now, if you people will excuse me, I've got some more stuff to do. »  
« Sure thing, Sam. We're not going anywhere. » Duncan said and took a sip from his drink.  
« Hopefully something'll turn up. » Rinoa said, looking out the window.

From the moment, they had set foot in Makobre Town, one of Tevarion's men had them in his sight. Unnoticeably, he'd followed them until they had entered the inn.  
« Target sighted in Makobre Town Inn. » he said in his radio. « Awaiting instructions. »  
Tevarion's voice came back over the open comm link. «_ Stay on his tail. Don't let him get out of your sight_. »  
« Copy that. »  
« _Anything else ?_ »  
« Target has six companions. »  
« _Law inforcement ?_ »  
« Negative. »  
« _Forget them. Follow Skywalker_. »  
« Acknowledged. Out. »

« All we can do now is wait. » Quistis said, breaking the silence that had followed. In the tavern, the low murmur of voices echoed through the main room. They could see Sam move around, seeing if he couldn't find out something that would shed some light on Duncan's situation. Finally, he came back.  
« Well, I've managed to scrape some things together. » Sam began. « Several people have seen a truck drive through here, heading due east. According to those few people I talked to, they didn't even stop for a snack for on the road, not even to refuel. »  
« Maybe they didn't need any of it. » Selphie wondered.  
« It's quite some distance from Oregonia for a truck to get here. » Duncan said.   
« It doesn't make any sense. » Rinoa shook her head.  
« It must make sense. » Duncan cut in. « Those bastards took my wife and kids for a reason. »  
« This isn't getting us anywhere. » Quistis interjected.  
« Let's see what we can find on our own. » Squall said. Duncan paid Sam and all seven of them left the inn.  
« So ? Whereto now ? » Selphie wondered.  
« I haven't got the slightest idea. » Irvine scratched the back of his head. Duncan wanted to add something but caught sight of the sun reflecting off a shiny object ; and that object seemed to move around the bushes.  
« Squall, you, Rinoa and Irvine go right. Zell, Quistis, Selphie, to the left. There's someone in the bushes spying on us. Do it inconspicuously. » Skywalker said in a low voice.  
« Yeah, why don't we split up. That way we can cover more ground. » Zell said rather loudly, but loud enough for the person in the bushes to hear.  
« Good idea. » Squall agreed in an equal tone of voice. Then, they split up and moved to their positions. While the others headed for the figure in their circumventing movement, Duncan went to confront the figure head-on.  
Whether the figure in the bushes had an early-warning system, they couldn't tell. When Squall got close, the figure moved back towards Selphie's group. When he saw Selphie, the person tried to make his getaway through the two groups but saw Skywalker head for him. Couldn't go that way.   
When Selphie and Irvine wanted to grab him, he bailed and gave them the slip in the narrow streets.  
Irvine came back a few minutes later. « Lost him. »  
And Selphie another few minutes thereafter. « He gave me the slip. »  
« Damn. » Skywalker swore. « Did you get a look at him ? »  
« Not really. » Selphie shrugged. « He wore a uniform. Pitch-black. »  
« And he got a helmet on too. » Irvine added.  
A distant memory flashed through Duncan's mind. It couldn't be could it ? Jennai Soldiers ? He immediately dismissed the idea of Jennai Soldiers being involved. Jennai's facilities and Lakoya Ctiy had been destroyed several years ago. But to be on the safe side, he kept the idea in the back of his mind.  
« So, if I understand what your friend Sam told us, » Rinoa began. « the truck we're looking for drove through here and didn't stop. »  
« That's right. » Duncan nodded.  
« Therefore there's nothing more in this town for us to find out. Let's follow the tracks should there be any. »  
When that was settled, they got underway.  
« She sure is clever. » Duncan whispered to Squall.  
« Well, she has her moments. » Squall replied.  
« And I like my girls to be total nitwits. » Irvine joked and got a kick against the shin from Selphie.  
« Easy there, sniper-guy. » she hissed. « Or else I'll go tell the others you freaked out during the Sorceress Edea assassination mission. »  
Irvine nearly fell on his knees, begging. « Please Sefie, don't do that. You'll ruin my reputation. »  
« Then I'd suggest you watch what you're going to say. »  
« Uhh, yeah, sure. I'll do just that. »  
Selphie rolled her eyes. « Men. » she muttered. A bit behind her, Irvine wiped the sweat off his brow. « Gee, close call. »  
« Hey, don't fall behind back there ! » Squall yelled from up front.  
« Coming ! » Selphie yelled back and ran to the others with Irvine in tow.  
Just outside town, Duncan inspected the ground in hope of finding some tracks. His blue-green eyes scanned every square centimeter of the immediate area surrounding him. And there it was. Perhaps half a meter long, but still clearly visible : an imprint of a truck's tyre. « Over here. »  
« Nearly all of it is erased. » Selphie observed.  
« Probably rain. » Irvine suggesyed, trying to make amends.  
« Probably. » Selphie snorted.  
« Come on. » Duncan got up and took point, following the direction in which the tracks pointed.

**_Zeoa Town_**  
The tracks took them to the town of Zeoa. This town also had a port, like Oregonia. But not like the usual ones, this one was purely built for hovercrafts. Which was the first thing they got to see.  
« What are those ? » Rinoa asked, pointing at three hovercrafts moored at their piers.  
« Hovercrafts. » Duncan replied. « There are different sorts of those. The big ones can carry cars and cargo, the medium-sized ones only cars and trucks and the small ones can only transport people. »  
« Well, this is the first time I see such a vehicle. » Quistis said. The others said so too. « How does that thing move around ? »  
« A hovercraft utilizes a cussion in order to move around easily when it's on the water or the beach or another flat surface. It's being propelled by two big propellors you see on the aft section. Steering is done by the two fins behind each propellor. »  
« So that's like a big bus on the sea. » Selphie flapped out.  
« Sort of. » Duncan agreed.  
A roaring noise came from the port where one of the three hovercrafts prepared itself for departure. The hovercraft rose up on its cussion and left the port. When it was clear, it sped to its destination at full speed.  
« Man, look at it go ! » Zell stared after the hovercraft until it was out of visual range.  
« We'd better get to the inn. » Squall looked up at the darkening sky. « Night is about to fall. » They ran to the inn and booked five rooms.   
Not far away, another one of Tevarion's men radioed in.

**_Neron Continent_**  
Cathy still roamed the forests, looking for a road which would lead her to where she intended to go. Beside her, Archie sometimes sniffed the ground.  
« What's wrong ? » she asked. Archie kept his head low. Suddenly, the wolf brought his head up and listened attentively.  
« What ? » Cathy wondered. « Is there some wild beast around ? »  
She dove in the bushes, pulled Archie in beside her and told him to keep quiet. Archie had heard it minutes ago, and now Cathy could also hear it.  
Voices. The question was : who did those voices belong to ?  
She listened and tried to make out what they were saying. But the distance was too great and only shards could be heard.  
« I think I hear those soldiers again. » she said silently. Catherine only heard fragments of conversations. A few words she was able to make out : HYPERION, satellites, ray, Lakoya and project.  
« What does it all mean ? » she wondered.  
To answer that, she'd have to find the village her father had saved several years ago. In a circumventing movement, she sneaked around the men and continued on her search.

* * *

  
VII  
HYPERION's Completion

  
_**Tevarion's hideout**_  
On the wall-sized viewscreen, all the data and the positions of the mirror satellites were displayed. All the satellites were nearly in geosynchronous orbit. The last one was on its way by means of its thrusters, positioning itself in the spot which had been programmed into the satellite's onboard computer core. When it was in position, all the icons which represented the satellites on the screen turned blue. Every single satellite of the HYPERION-project had been switched to sync-mode. The icons were scattered in a geosynchronous orbit around the entire planet. Every place could be reached and destroyed if Tevarion gave the order.  
When he saw the last satellite slip into position and the entire project was synched, he couldn't be more pleased. If Jennai were here and given Tevarion the privilege to do as he saw fit, he'd tell him he'd done some impressive work.  
« Time for a test run. » he said. Several engineers and technicians raced to their stations.  
What followed was a jumbled mess of reports. « Power core online All systems go... No feedback loops Opening HYPERION bay. »  
Not far away, another hill opened and a huge cilindrical object emerged. From up close it looked like a huge cilinder, but from afar and seen from a hill one would see that this was in reality a massive cannon. It had an output of five times as much energy as the Ki Ray cannon and three times as much as the Sigma Cannon.  
« Targeting systems synched with satellites 7, 15, 20 and 27 Power levels nominal All set. »  
« Begin test. » Tevarion simply said.  
The last commands were given and the targeting officer hit the 'Fire'-control. Everything pointed out that all was going well, save for one thing. The HYPERION-cannon didn't fire.  
« It's not firing. » the officer reported.  
« Explain. » Tevarion barked.  
« I have no idea, sir. Everything checks out fine. Only the cannon isn't firing. I believe the fault is in the cannon controls. »  
« Check it out. »  
« Yessir. » the officer got up and bolted out of the command center.  
A few minutes later, the officer's voice crackled out of the comm system. « _I found it, sir_. »  
« What's keeping the cannon from firing ? » Tevarion asked.  
« _A control card, sir. The red HYPERION control card is missing_. »  
Tevarion nearly exploded when he heard that. He'd personally break the neck of the one that had snatched it, if he'd ever laid hands on him or her.

Jeb, Alex and Butch were on their way to their usual place to keep an eye on that opening which seemed to lead underground.  
« Wonder who's down there. » Alex began.  
« Enormous ants ? » Jeb joked. His two companions exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes. « What ? » Jeb asked.  
« Just keep going. » Butch said.  
« Okay, okay. » Jeb groused. They came to the small clearing from which they had done their stakeout before Talinn, Ringo and Nicky had done theirs. Jeb stopped, making the others bump into him.  
« Hey Jeb, what's with the sudden halt ? » Alex asked.  
Jeb pointed in the distance. « That. »  
« What the hell ! ? » All three stared at the visible part of the barrel of the HYPERION cannon.  
« Where did that come from ? » Butch wondered.  
« Looks like it emerged from some kind of sheltered bay. » Alex peered through his binocs. « From what I can make of it, it looks as if it's a cannon. »  
« Great. » Jeb groused. « I knew it. It's something Jennai left behind. »  
« Get a hold of yourself, Jeb. » Butch countered. « We don't know for sure if it's Jennai's work or not. »  
« Easy for you to say, but I got a really bad feeling about this. »  
Butch rolled his eyes and took a look using his own binoculars. « It seems they're testing the damn thing. »  
« Testing ? » Alex lowered his binocs. « So that must mean it's not complete yet. »  
« It looks that way. »  
Alex wanted to add something but heard ristling in the bushes nearby.  
« Alex, left. Jeb, right. » Butch ordered. The three spread out. A wolf charged out of the bushes and went for Jeb. The latter fell on his back and the wolf was on him in an instant. The others wanted to rush to Jeb's aid when they heard a voice.  
« Archie, get back here ! On the double ! »  
The wolf left Jeb alone and ran back. The three stared after the wolf and saw a young girl standing a bit further. Butch estimated her to be in her teens. She had a nasty dagger in her hand and eyed them cautiously.  
« Who the hell are you ? » Jeb asked while getting up.  
« I could ask you the same question. » she bounced back.  
« C'mon, give me that dagger. You'll hurt yourself. » Alex went to her, trying to take the dagger. But she threw him over her shoulder back at the others.  
« Whoa, sharp-witted and knows how to defend herself. » Butch said with a smile. The girl took a defensive pose.  
« Hey guys, doesn't that stance remind you of someone ? » Jeb asked.  
« Now that you mention it Duncan Skywalker, right ? » Alex said, while rubbing his back. He'd landed quite hard on the ground. They could see they had struck paydirt, because the look in the girl's eyes changed.  
« What do you know about him ? » she spat.  
« Well, he saved our village a few years ago. » Alex began.  
« Not to mention almost completely had that city to be overgrown with vegetation. » Jeb added. A smile formed on the girl's face.  
« So, what do you know about him ? » Butch asked.  
« He's my father. »  
Now it was their turn to stand there and gawk.  
« Somebody pinch me. I must be dreaming. » Jeb said. Alex pinched him in the arm. « Ouch, maybe not. » Then he kicked Alex. « Next time not so hard. » he hissed.  
« Wait wait wait. » Butch said. « Skywalker is your father ? That can't be, he said his wife died in a car-accident. »  
« He remarried. » she said and put the dagger away. « My name is Catherine Luna Skywalker. »  
« I'm Butch. » he pointed over his shoulder at Alex. « There's Alex and nitwit over there is Jeb. Better call him 'Sneak'. »  
« Sneak ? » Cathy asked.  
« Dammit, here we go again. » Jeb swore.  
« Why is that ? » she asked.  
« He hates being called that. » Alex said, half-laughing.  
« You got that right ! » Jeb flared.  
« Okay okay, settle down. Hold your chocobos. » Butch said. He turned back to Cathy. « So, what brings you to these dangerous woods ? »  
« I'm looking for a village. Dyenso Village. »  
« Well, ain't that swell. » Alex said. « We're from Dyenso Village. »  
« Finally. » Cathy sighed.  
« What's wrong ? »  
« Can't tell right now. » Cathy looked around, clearly afraid of something.  
« Let's head back to the village and there you can tell us everything. » Butch suggested. Catherine agreed. « Did you ever ride a chocobo ? »  
« What's that ? »  
« You'll see. »  
A bit further stood three big birds with yellow feathers.  
« Here they are. Chocobos. » Alex smiled and climbed onto the first.  
« You ride on them ? » Cathy asked.  
« Yep. » Jeb climbed onto the second. « You don't have chocobos at your place ? »  
« No. »  
« Too bad. » Butch said and lifted Cathy up and put her in the saddle of the third chocobo. Then, he hopped on and sat behind her. « They're kind-hearted. »  
She rubbed the chocobo over its neck. The chocobo squeaked.  
« Okay, let's go ! » The three chocobos took their passengers to Dyenso Village.

While the chocobos were on their way to Dyenso Village, several soldiers and engineers were assessing why the HYPERION cannon wasn't test firing. The soldiers stood guard in the immediate area while the engineers checked out the cannon's systems.  
« Well, all the parameters check out fine. » one of the engineers said.  
« Nothing seems to be malfunctioning. » another added.  
« Wait a minute. » the first suddenly cut in. « There's something wrong in control node B-254. »  
A few other engineers went to the place on the cannon where control node B-254 was located. When they opened the panel, they didn't notice anything at first. Until one of them shoved some wires aside. « The red control card is missing as that operator had said. »  
« Can we bypass it ? » the head engineer asked.  
« No can do. That control card has most of the firing presequence algorythms stored on it, which are vital to the proper functioning of the cannon. »  
« What if we tried to simulate the card ? » another asked.  
« What are you getting at ? » the head engineer asked.  
« Well, we could dump all the firing presequence algorythms in the additional computer memory and see what happens. »  
« We could try that hell, it might work. » the head engineer switched on his portable comm unit. « HQ, this is Damage Control. »  
« _Go ahead. _» Tevarion's voice came back.  
« The red control card is indeed missing. We're now gonna try to simulate the card by dumping all the firing presequence algorythms in the additional computer memory and test it. In theory, it should work. »  
« _How certain can you be ? _»  
« Can't say. It could short out the mainframe's hard drive and RAM memory. »  
« _Hmm. Then it's a shot in the dark. Proceed. _»  
« Yes sir. » He switched off his comm unit and turned to the other engineers. « Let's get moving, people ! »  
A part of the bay wall slid aside, revealing computer consoles. The engineers sat down and prepared to dump all the firing presequence algorythms in the additional computer memory.  
« You got a backup ? » the head engineer asked no-one in particular.  
« Always. » The engineer next to him gave him a small optical disc. He put it in the disc-drive and everyone began to input the algorythms in the additional computer memory.  
After fifteen minutes of intense work, they were done. « That's it. »  
The head engineer took his comm unit again. « HQ, this is Damage Control. »  
« _Go ahead_. »  
« All done, sir. Ready for testing. »  
«_ Acknowledged. Stand-by_. »  
They rushed back inside when the test began. The cannon angled upward and aligned itself with mirror satellite 7.  
Back in the command center, everything was running smooth.  
« Cannon core stable firing presequence algorythms loaded cannon aligned with satellite 7 all systems green. »  
« Fire. » Tevarion said and mentally kept his fingers crossed.  
The firing command was given and from the barrel of the HYPERION cannon a bright red ray shot up into the clear blue sky. The ray hit the mirror on satellite 7 and was reflected to satellite 15. Then from satellite 15, the ray was reflected to 20 and then to 27 which deflected the red energy beam into the interstellar void. The ray had just gone half-way around the world by means of the mirrors.  
HYPERION was completed.

* * *

  
VIII  
Alert From Lunar Base

  
_**Lunar Base**_  
Between the planet and the moon hung Lunar Base. After the Lunar Cry a few years ago, the engineers of Esthar had rebuilt it and improved the station. The station's sensor matrices were aimed at the moon to check on the monsters which lived there. Should they begin to gather, the station would be put in Red Alert-mode and a message would be sent to Esthar City. And should those monsters, for some reason, begin to show signs that they would come to the planet, the station would get out of the way by means of its new thruster engines.  
The commander of the Lunar Base stepped into the command center holding a mug of coffee. « How are things going ? »  
« Pretty good. No activity on the moon's surface. » the sensor officer reported.  
« Nice. Keep it that way. »  
« That's all up to them. » the sensor officer joked. The commander grinned and sipped his coffee.  
But then, the sensors freaked as the red beam fired by the HYPERION cannon shot past the station and seared the shields which were designed to avoid collision with space debris. The commander nearly choked on his coffee as the red ray vanished in the void of interstellar space.  
« What the hell was that ? »  
« Can't say yet, sir. » the sensor officer reported. « The sensors have been overloaded. We'll get them cleared out in a sec. »  
« Good. Get those sensors online A.S.A.P. »  
« Yes sir. »  
The crew got to work and after five minutes of rerouting commands, the sensors came back online.  
« Sensors picked up a mass of directed energy. Clearly it was aimed at nothing. » the sensor officer reported.  
« Origin ? » the commander demanded and set his mug on the nearest console.  
« Grandini Forest, sir. » The sensor officer turned in his chair, not quite believing it. « The laws of physics say that can't be. Light travels in a straight path. »  
« Indeed. » the commander agreed. « Unless the ray was bent. »  
« Sir ? »  
« Never shone a flashlight at a mirror in a dusty place ? »  
The sensor officer gave his commander a puzzled look, then he got it. « Orbital mirror platforms. »  
« Bingo. I bet that's how they've done it. » The commander looked out the window at the planet. « Somewhere out there, in orbit, are several platforms. Must be. Scan for them. »  
« Yes sir. » The sensor officers got to work, trying to detect the satellites of the HYPERION-project. But after a good while, they had to give up. Not one of the satellites gave its location away.  
« Nothing, sir. » the sensor officer reported with a sigh. « There's no sign of any orbital platform capable of bending rays of directed energy. »  
Sitting in the command chair, Lunar Base's commander rubbed his chin. « Better call the president. Put him on a secure line, encoded and scrambled. »  
« Yessir. » The comm officer got to work, trying to establish a connection.

**_Esthar City_**  
_Life is great_ went through Laguna's mind when he was sitting behind his desk, looking out the big window behind him. Several months ago, Esthar scouts had seen the rockets launch which carried the essential instruments of Tevarion's HYPERION project into space : the mirror satellites. Not knowing what it meant, they reported it and they had deemed it to be experiments of a nation which was developing spaceflight. Little did they know it would be a weapon in due time.  
He leaned back in his chair and nearly tipped over when the comm console started to beep. Annoyed, he got up and pressed a control.  
« What ? » he barked.  
« _Lunar Base here, sir. Sorry to disturb you, but we have a situation. _»  
« This had better be good, commander. »  
« _Uhh of course. Not long ago, a ray of directed energy seared past us. Scans confirm it came from Grandini Forest._ »  
« That's near here. » Laguna deducted.  
« _Yes sir. We've tried to detect the orbital platforms which had bent the ray but no luck_. »  
« Orbital platforms » Laguna muttered. « Hey, wait a sec those rockets we saw a few months ago »  
« _I think so too, sir. There's no other way. _»  
« If we can find the location from where the rockets were launched, we find the ray's origin. »  
« _Excellent plan, sir. But how are you gonna organize it ? _»  
« I'm working on it. »  
« _Oh, I see. Well, I won't keep you. Lunar Base out_. » The screen went blank.  
« Lessee now. » he said silently. Kiros was busy with a matter that concerned the public transport systems and Ward was keeping an eye on the military forces of Esthar. « Damn. » He was looking for someone who he could trust. Someone who wouldn't disappoint him. Then, he got an idea. Maybe not someone, but some people. He turned back to his comm unit and established a connection to Balamb Garden.  
After a minute, Cid appeared on his screen.  
« _President Laguna ! How are you doing, sir ? _» Cid asked with a smile.  
« Spare me. » Laguna sighed. « I still regret the day I got suckered into accepting this job. »  
«_ I see. Anyway, what can I do for you ?_ »  
« Is Squall around ? »  
« _I'm afraid not. He and the others went out to help their friend Duncan_. »  
« Duncan ? As in Duncan Skywalker ? »  
« _The same_. » Cid confirmed.  
« Where are they now ? »  
« _Honestly, I don't know. I'll call them and ask Squall if he can get back to you_. »  
« Right. Do that. » Laguna nodded. « Esthar out. »

**_Zeoa Town_**  
When the sun had risen, all seven left the inn.  
« Nice morning. » Rinoa observed, looking east at the rising sun.  
« Indeed. » Squall confirmed.  
« Hey, check this out. » Zell said from a bit furhter down the road. Everyone rushed over to see what it was Zell had found.  
« Tracks. » he proudly announced. And added to that : « Of a truck. »  
« They're the same. » Duncan said while examining the tracks in the muddy soil. « They seem to be heading for the hovercraft port. »  
« Then let's get a move on. » Selphie ran ahead to the port with the others close behind. When they got there, another hovercraft left the port. This time, it was one of the big ones.  
« Don't fall behind, guys ! » Selphie yelled over the noise of the hovercraft's propellor engines.  
« We won't ! » Skywalker yelled back. « Keep moving ! »  
« You got it ! »  
They stepped in the registry office where all arrivals and departures were filed. Duncan asked the man behind the desk if there had been any unusual cargo's or transports in the last few days.  
« Not that I know of. » the man replied. « No wait a minute. There was one truck that wanted to go to a certain area of Grandini Forest. Those guys paid big money just to get them there. »  
« Where is that area ? » Duncan asked.  
« I don't know. I got a lot to do here. I can't keep track of everything, y'know. »  
Skywalker sighed. « Okay, thanks anyway. »  
« No problem. » the man said as they left the office.  
« Now what ? » Selphie shrugged.  
« Why don't we go to the inn and booze up a little. » Zell said with a grin. In return, six pair of eyes gave him a stern look. « Okay, maybe not. »  
« Let's head back. » Squall suggested. While they were walking back to the inn, the portable comm device he'd taken along beeped. Squall reached in his pocket and took it out.  
« Squall here. » he said after activating it.  
« _Headmaster Cid here, guys. Listen up, President Laguna called me a few minutes ago. I said I'd get in touch with you guys_. »  
« Okay, what's up ? »  
« _Laguna asked if you could contact him. I'll transmit the frequency._ »  
« Will do. » Squall acknowledged. « Leonhart out. »  
After he'd gotten the frequency, he pressed the 'activate' button. Within seconds, a connection was made to Laguna's office.  
« Cid asked me to get back to you. » Squall said, immediately getting to the matter at hand.  
« _Yeah._ » Esthar's president confirmed. « _We've got a little situation here_. »  
« I'm listening. »  
«_ Is Duncan there too ?_ »  
« Yeah, I'm here. Fire away. » Skywalker said.  
« _Okay. Not long ago, a beam of directed energy seared past Lunar Base. From their vantage point, their sensors have confirmed that the ray had originated from somewhere in Grandini Forest. And get this : a few months ago, several dozen rockets had been launched from somewhere in Grandini Forest. Something stinks here, guys_. »  
« Well, we're having a little problem here too. » Duncan said. « My wife and two kids have been kidnapped by I don't know who. Our investigation has revealed that they've been taken away in a truck and that truck was on its way to a certain area in Grandini Forest. »  
«_ Coincidence ?_ »  
« Possibly. » Duncan said. « I won't quit till I find them. »  
«_ I know. When you sink your proverbial teeth into something, you don't let go until it's solved_. »  
« You got that right. »  
« We'll see if we can dig something up on that ray Lunar Base had registered. » Squall said.  
« _Deal. We'll try to figure something out about your wife and kids' whereabouts. If we can_. » Laguna suggested.  
« Thanks. » Duncan said with genuine appreciation.  
« _Don't mention it. If anything turns up, you'll be the first to know. Esthar out_. »  
The portable comm unit beeped once as the connection was severed.  
« Hey guys, there's someone spying on us. » Rinoa hissed silently and barely noticeable indicated a patch of dense bushes with an almost unnoticeable jerk of her head.  
« Again ? » Duncan wondered. « Well, he's not getting away this time. Let's rush him. »  
« Agreed. » Squall said. « On three. »  
At the count of three all seven charged the bushes. The figure tried to hightail out of there but Selphie dropkicked him from the side. There was a noticeable dent in his helmet. Skywalker grabbed him by the front of his tunic and hoisted him to his feet. When he got a good look at the person he was holding up, it felt as if ice was coarsing through his veins.   
« A Jennai Soldier. » He yanked the helmet off the man's head. « Where are my wife and kids !? » He shook him like a toy. « Where !? Tell me, damn you ! »  
The ony thing the soldier did was look to one side. Then, he jerked his head in the other direction as hard as he could. A series of cracks could be heard. The soldier went limp in Skywalker's grasp.  
« He he broke his own neck ? » Rinoa asked, unable to comprehend what she'd just witnessed.  
Duncan dropped the now dead soldier. « Yeah. »  
« Well, we know that they were heading to Grandini Forest. » Zell said. « So let's hightail to Esthar Continent. »  
Skywalker still stood staring at the body. His wife and kids were in the hands of Jennai Soldiers. His greatest fear had come true. There were indeed other squads of those guys on the loose.  
As he followed he others to the hovercraft, he'd made up his mind.  
He was going to see that the remaining Jennai Soldiers were eradicated once and for all.

* * *

IX  
Destination Reached

  
**_Dyenso Village_**  
A half hour before HYPERION's test shot, the chocobos rode through the main gate of the village.  
« Here we are. » Jeb said.  
« Final stop. » Butch set Catherine on the ground, before he himself dismounted. Catherine looked around with interest, taking in every detail. « We'd better get to the Chief A.S.A.P. » Butch went to the Chief's house with the others and Cathy in tow.  
« Chief ? You in here ? » Alex asked when he arrived at the door.  
« Yeah, come on in. » came a voice from the back. The four went in and found the Chief in one of the back rooms. « So, what did you guys find out ? » he asked while going to the main room and then taking a seat.  
« Remember those rockets we saw a few days ago ? » Alex began.  
« Yeah. » the Chief acknowledged.  
« There's something else instead. » Jeb added. « Something you ain't gonna like. »  
« It's a cannon, Chief. Still in its testing stage. » Butch added to that.  
« What ? » the Chief nearly fell off his chair. « A cannon ? »  
« Yep. » Alex nodded. The Chief sat back and rubbed his eyes. This couldn't be happening. The mess with Jennai had been settled long ago. There shoudn't be any activity there. He said so.  
« We all know that, Chief. » Butch said. « But the fact is there's someone there. »  
The Chief wanted to add something when he caught sight of Catherine hiding behind Butch. « Hello, and who have we here ? »  
She peeked out from behind Butch's leg and looked the Chief straight in the eye with her blue-green eyes.  
« Guys, those eyes remind me of someone. » he began.  
« We know. » Jeb said with a smile. « She's Skywalker's daughter. Chief, say hello to Catherine Luna Skywalker. »  
After a few seconds, the Chief realized he sat there gawking at her. He immediately sat up straight and cleared his throat a few times. « So, what brings you here ? »  
« I'm hungry. » Cathy said.  
The Chief got up. « Well, why don't we go to the kitchen and see what we can slap together. »   
Sensing she could trust him, Cathy followed. But half-way to the kitchen, all five and a few dozen villagers heard the distinctive whine of the HYPERION cannon firing its test shot. The air was momentarily cast in a red hue which lasted for a few seconds.  
Jeb rushed to the window. « What the hell was that ? » He looked at the remaining wisps of red dissipate.  
« They just fired their test shot. » Butch said. « Whoever they are. »  
Talinn and Ringo stormed through the door. « What was that al about ? » she asked.  
« You guys were on stakeout. » Ringo said. « What's going on out there ? »  
« They've stopped launching rockets and now, some kind of hidden bay has opened and one hell of a cannon is sitting there. That thing just fired its first test shot. » Alex explained.  
« What ? » Talinn hissed. « There's another cannon ? »  
« I'm afraid so. » Jeb said.  
« Could it be that » Ringo began, wondering about something.  
« Could it be what ? » the Chief asked.  
« Y'know. » Ringo said. « Jennai Soldiers perhaps. »  
« I'm not sure about that. » Butch cut in. « However, it would be prudent to assume that some of those bastards are still around. »  
« We need to contact Skywalker A.S.A.P. » Talinn suggested.

In the underground command center, the mood was ecstatic.  
« The cannon has fired. » the cannon operator reported.  
« Firing presequence dump was a success. » another reported. « Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. »  
« Good work. » Tevarion commented. « Now we have the weapon that will guarantee us ruling the entire world ! »  
Jennai may have been mad, but Tevarion surely showed signs of grandeur and delusions of godhood. With the HYPERION cannon, he thought he could take on the world.  
In its bay, the cannon sat cooling off from the heat the shot had generated. Everywhere, technicians and maintenance crews ran around like ants, tending to various systems of the cannon.

**_Zeoa Town_**  
Squall and the others took the next hovercraft ride to the Esthar Continent. The craft sped out of the port and set course for its destination.  
While looking out the large viewport next to him, Skywalker thought about what Cloud and the others had said when he and some friends of his had been transported into their reality. Memories flashed before his eyes.   
_A second Sephiroth Commander, you've got to stop him ! Sephiroth's dangerous_ That was when he'd recovered Rinoa's essence. Cloud tried to stop him.  
_We have to save Moira at all cost or else he'll go mad. Permanent madness_ Rinoa persuading the rest to come to the rescue.  
_Hang in there, Moira. Stay with me.._. Seeing her hanging in the belts in the Tomcat's cockpit, her shoulder badly injured.  
He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.  
« Hey, we'll find them. Don't worry. » Quistis said.  
« I know we'll find them. » Duncan said. « It's just the fact that there are still Jennai Soldiers around. »  
« What are those anyway ? » Irvine asked.  
« They're genetically 'assembled' and identical to one another. If they're given an order, they carry it out without hesitation and are relentless. They won't stop until their mission is accomplished. »  
« Gives me the creeps. » Rinoa shivered.  
« You and everyone else they came in contact with. »  
« So where do we go to once we arrive ? » Quistis inquired.  
« If they're in the hands of Jennai Soldiers, I've got a pretty good idea where they are. » Duncan said.  
« You do ? » six voices asked at once.  
« I have reason to believe so. » He told them about Lakoya City and Dyenso Village and their rebellion against Jennai. « Not far from the village, the remains of the city are located. It seems that someone else has taken Jennai's place and is leading the Jennai Soldiers into whatever he has planned for the world. »  
Skywalker looked down at his right hand where on his ring finger a gold ring reflected the sunlight coming through the viewport.  
_I'm coming, Moira. Hang on, I'm on my way._

**_Dyenso Village_**  
In the kitchen, the Chief stood looking at Cathy making her way through the room. Archie faithfully waited outside. She had found the fridge and was busy putting something together.  
« A little bit of this and some of that and maybe this too »  
A few minutes later, she had a nice sandwich with tomatoes, salad, rasped carrots, hard-boiled eggs and mayonaise. Within minutes, almost half of the sandwich was gone. She seemed to have one hell of an appetite after roaming the woods for so long.  
« Can I have a bite ? » the Chief asked.  
« Sure. » Cathy cut off a piece.  
The Chief took a bite. « Not bad. A real kitchen princess, aren't you ? »  
Cathy answered that with a smile.  
They heard the door open and close. « Chief ? » a voice asked.  
« Back here. » the Chief replied.  
Nicky appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.  
« Hey Nicky. What's up ? »  
He wanted to reply but saw Cahty a bit further, munching on her sandwich. « Hey, uhh Chief, who's she ? »  
« This is Catherine Luna Skywalker. » the Chief said.  
« Skywalker ? » Nicky asked baffled. « You mean ? »  
« Yep. She's his daughter. »  
She finished her sandwich and opened the fridge to search for something else to eat.  
« Whoa, I think that'll be enough. » The Chief said, closing the fridge. « If you keep eating like that, I won't have any food left. »  
« Oh, okay. »  
« Hey Nicky, why don't you take her on a tour of the village ? Let her see all the nice places. »  
« Sure thing, Chief. »  
Cathy was in her early teens but Nicky had grown up to his late teens, around 17, 18 years old.  
The two left the Chief's house and went for a stroll through the village.  
« Nice village. » Cathy said, looking around.  
« Yeah, I know. And I'm glad your father came along some years back and saved us from Jennai. »  
« He mentioned something on that event. » She shivered. « Sounded grisly. »  
« It was. » Nicky said. « With that orbital cannon, threatening to wipe us out at any moment. »  
« What's over here ? » she asked and looked through the open doorway of a rather large house with a workplace.  
« This here is the blacksmith. I'm sure you know what he makes. »  
« Yeah. » Cathy grinned. « Weapons. »  
« Among other things. » Nicky corrected.  
« Such as ? »  
« Ploughs, a few pair of scissors, scythes for mowing the grass, axes, knives, you tell me. » Nicky explained.  
« I see. »  
« And of course weapons, such as arrowheads, swords, daggers, and so on. »  
They moved on, touring the village for nearly the entire day.  
« What's over there ? » she pointed at a rather large house. That place, had been occupied by Talinn's cabin several years ago. After they'd gotten married, Talinn and Ringo had torn down the cabin and built a house instead. Ringo sat on the roof, hammering away at a gap, trying to mend it so a leak would be gone.  
« That's Talinn's place. »  
« Who's that ? »  
« Well, she's the Chief's daughter. » Nicky began but couldn't finish because Cathy ran to the house. « Hey, wait up. »  
Just as Cathy reached the house, Talinn came out. « Hey Nicky. She your girlfriend ? »  
« Gimme a break. » Nicky protested. « She's way too young for me. »  
Talinn merely laughed. « Relax, I'm just yanking your chain. » She turned to Cathy. « I haven't seen you around here. Are you new here ? »  
« Sort of. » she admitted. « My dad told me about this place and I was looking for it. »  
« How come ? »  
« My mother, brother and myself were being taken somewhere by force. I fell out the back of the truck and managed to escape. I have to let father know where I am. »  
« My my. » Talinn said. « We'll see if we can contact your father. »  
« He's looking for us. » Cathy said with a distant gaze. « He's coming. »  
« And who is your father ? »  
From the roof, Ringo was listening as well.  
« He's been here before. » she said. « Duncan Skywalker. »  
« What !? » Ringo didn't quite believe it. « Oh shit. Look out below ! » The hammer he'd accidently had dropped landed not far from Nicky who had ducked away. « Sorry about that. »  
« It's okay. » Nicky tossed the hammer back up at Ringo who caught it.  
« Your father is Duncan Skywalker ? » Talinn asked. « Then that means »  
« That I'm his daughter. » Cathy finished for her. « My name's Catherine Luna Skywalker. »  
« Well. » Talinn said, getting back to her senses. « Do you have a place to stay, by the way ? »  
« I don't know. I dont think so. »  
« Then you can stay here. And we'll expain everything to the Chief first thing tomorrow. »

  



	3. part3

X  
Escape ! 

  
_**Lunar Base**_  
« Nothing, nada, zilch. » the sensor officer hit his console in frustration. « Those things aren't there. »  
« Relax, Lieutenant. » Lunar Base's commander said. « This kind of equipment is hard to come by and has to be kept in one piece. »  
« Sorry sir. »  
« It's okay. » The commander waved the apology away.  
The young lieutenant turned in his chair. « Permission to speak freely, sir. »  
« Shoot. »  
« With all due respect, sir, we've been scanning for these damned things for I don't know how long and we've come up with nothing. Frankly sir, I don't think there are any 'orbital platforms' out there like you've said. »  
The commander thought over that comment for a few moments, then he got out of his chair. « Maybe you're right. »  
« Sir ? » the young lieutenant didn't quite believe what he was hearing.  
« Maybe there aren't any of those platforms in orbit capable of deflecting a directed beam of energy. Light can be bent in another way. »  
« And what would that be, sir ? »  
« Ever seen a full solar eclipse ? »  
« I don't think I have, sir. »  
« That can be arranged. » The commander went over to the lieutenant's console and adjusted a few controls. The blazing yellow disc of the sun appeared on the screen. From the left side of the screen, the moon closed in and began to slide over the sun. As the twilight deepened, they saw a star wink into existence just above and below the sun. « Do you see those two stars ? »  
« Yes sir. »  
« Keep an eye on them. »  
The moon continued to slide over the sun until it covered the entire solar disc. And then, the lieutenant saw something he hadn't seen before. The star above and below the sun changed positions a wee bit as the moon eclipsed the sun. The one above moved up a bit and the one below moved down.  
« What the ? » the lieutenant stammered.  
« Now if you use your brains for a second, you'll find out. »  
The lieutenant thought frantically. He replayed the last seconds of the eclipse to see the two stars shift. And then, he got it. « Gravity. »  
« Bullseye. Gravity can bend light. »  
The lieutenant nearly lit up with pride. But it was short-lived as the commander torpedoed it.  
« However, that possibility is probable but not very likely. »  
« What do you mean, sir ? »  
« For light to be bent by gravity, you need a powerful gravity source. And this planet doesn't generate enough gravity to bend a ray of energy like the one we've seen. The only gravity source strong enough to really influence light is a black hole. »  
« Your point being, sir ? »  
« My point is that there have to be mirror equipped orbital platforms out there. But we can't see them just yet. »  
« That's the problem, sir. » the young lieutenant bounced back. The commander merely smiled. For a kid, this lieutenant had a skeptical mind and questioned everything until it made sense. He would make it far.  
« I know that, son. I know. » the commander said. « Keep scanning on all frequencies inluding infrared to ultraviolet. »  
« Scanning on all frequencies including IR and UV, aye. »

**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
In their cell, Moira and Lucas sat on the hard bench.  
« When'll dad come ? »  
« I don't know. » Moira said. « But he'll be here. He'll get us out. »  
Lucas got up and moved to the door where he peeked through the little gap which was used to deliver their meals. Save for the two Jennai Soldiers patrolling nearby, the place was empty.  
« Maybe I can pick the lock. »  
Moira joined her son by the door and took a closer look at the lock.  
« Mom, you got a hairpin or something I can use ? »  
A year or two ago, Lucas had accidently locked himself in the closet which had been built into the wall of the second floor. He had yelled for help, but no one had heard him. Not giving in, he looked around the closet and found a piece of steel wire. With that, he had single-handedly picked the lock and thus freed himself from his nasty situation.  
« I don't think that's gonna help. » she said.  
« How come ? »  
« This is a magnetic lock. It doesn't require a key to lock it. Just a command from a computer and electricity to power the lock. »  
« Can't we trigger an overload or something ? We've got to get out of here. »  
« Well, we first have to find the cables that feed the lock's internal mechanism. Then, I would need some tools to trigger that overload you spoke of. But where am I gonna find tools in this bare cell ? »  
« Got them right here. » Lucas took out his pocket knife out of bottom of his boot. « I've been walking around on that thing for nearly eternity. »  
« Lucas, you're a genius. » She kissed her son on the forehead and took the pocket knife. It had lots of mini tools including a screwdriver, a nailfile, a pair of scissors, tweezers, a saw blade and, of course, the knife itself.  
« Gee mom, get a grip. »  
They heard running outside the door. The two peeked through the gap again and saw several soldiers run past, scientists or engineers among them.  
Some ten minutes later, they felt the ground rumble as the HYPERION cannon fired its test shot.  
« What was that ? » Lucas wondered.  
« Your guess is as good as mine, son. » Moira said, still looking through the gap. « It seems that that Tevarion bastard is planning something big. »  
At first, they didn't notice it, but after several minutes they did notice it. The two soldiers had stopped patrolling. The corridor was empty.  
« Okay Lucas. » Moira said and began to search for the cables feeding power to the door's magnetic lock. « Now or never. »

**_Dyenso Village_**  
When Talinn and Ringo were looking for Cathy who wasn't in her room when they wanted to wake her, they found her in the kitchen, munching on yet another sandwich. Obviously, she had set her mind on conquering the food in their fridge after such a long time of wandering in the woods.  
« Gee, what an appetite. » Ringo said. Cathy took another bite as to emphasize that.  
« Why don't we all get something to eat and then we'll go see the Chief. » Talinn suggested.  
« Good idea. » Ringo agreed.  
After breakfast, they went to the Chief's house.  
« Archie, wait here. » Catherine instructed her companion. The wolf laid down on the ground next to the door and put his head on his paws.  
« Chief ? » Ringo looked around the main room.  
« Coming. » they heard from somewhere in one of the back rooms. After a few moments, the Chief came hurrying into the room. « Hey guys, what's up ? »  
« We have to talk to you about something. » Talinn said, closing the door.  
« And that would be ? » the Chief asked.  
« Did it not strike you as odd that Catherine here showed up in our village when she and her family live on the other side of the world ? » Talinn began.  
« Yeah, now that you mention it » the Chief mused. « How did you get here ? »  
« She was the victim of a kidnapping. » Ringo slipped in perfectly.  
« My mother, my mother and myself. » Cathy added to that. « We were being taken somewhere. I fell out the back of the truck and managed to escape. Since then, I had been looking for this village because father had told me about this place. »  
« I see. » the Chief said.  
« My father is looking for me. He's on his way. »  
« How do you know that ? » Ringo asked, a bit skeptical.  
Talinn hit her husband on the head. « In case you're not fully awake, she's Duncan's daughter. She's got to have the same Lifestream capabilities as he has. »  
« Actually, my connection to the Lifestream has only recently been made. I can feel it growing though. »  
« So what do we do now ? » Ringo wondered.  
« We have to warn Duncan his daughter is here. » Talinn said. « The only question is : how ? »  
« Maybe we could send Nicky. » the Chief wondered.  
« Send him where ? » Talinn asked. « These woods are ominous. Besides, we don't know where he is or where he'll arrive. »  
« Good point. » Ringo said.  
« Indeed. » the Chief agreed.  
« C'mon, we have to do something to get my mother and brother out of those soldiers' clutches. »  
« Sodiers ? What soldiers ? » the Chief asked, getting wind of what was coming next.  
« Soldiers in black uniforms with a black helmet and a green blast shield. I couldn't see their faces. » Cathy explained.  
« Jennai Soldiers. » the Chief, Talinn and Ringo said as one.

**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
Along the bare walls of the cell, Moira searched for the cables which fed power to the internal mechanism of the magnetic lock. Lucas pointed at something small and out of the ordinary in a corner near the door.  
« What's this ? »  
Moira pryed the chalk off and a red wire was exposed. « That's the one I was looking for. » She yanked on the wire a few times, loosening it up. « Stand back, this could get a little rough. »  
Lucas moved back while Moira whipped up the knife. She held the sharp end against the wire and turned her head away. Then, she cut the wire with all the force she could muster. The knife slid through the wire and a shower of sparks followed a split-second thereafter. While the two exposed halves of the power wire were still sparking a bit, the magnetic lock clicked.  
« All right. » Lucas cheered from the corner where he'd taken cover. Moira silently pushed the door open. No one.  
« Come on. » With Lucas right behind her, she kept close to the wall and moved to the nearest intersection of corridors. There they learned they were on level 5 below ground. And fortunatly, there was a computer terminal there. She wasted no time and began to examine the system. Her training in SeeD paid off once again as she began to hack into the system and methodically and meticulously erased her tracks. Something caught here eye. A file, protected by a Level-4 security code. Only the commander could access it.  
« Hah, I had bigger fish to fry. » she muttered and bypassed the code. Moira had once, long ago, broken Cid's personal access code which had given her access to the entire computer network of Balamb Garden. She had done this because everyone doubted her capabilities and she wanted to prove herself so she had decided to break Cid's access code which was Level-7. Cid was royally pissed off and proud at the same time.  
« What the hell is this ? » she asked as the file opened. On the screen, the schematics of a cannon were displayed. 'Schematics - HYPERION cannon' stood in the lower right corner. « This must be what caused that rumble. »  
« What's that, mom ? » Lucas asked, looking at the screen.  
« Schematics of some kind of cannon. » She opened the e-mail program and sent the file to a safe location in the Balamb Garden computer system. She was barely finished when an alarm went off. The sound of booted feet running echoed through the corridor. Moira shut down the terminal after erasing her tracks and ran. Lucas followed right behind her.  
« Now to find a way out of here. »  
They ran around the corner and hid in a dark place when at least twenty Jennai Soldiers ran past them. The two held their breath, hoping no soldier would notice them. When they were gone, mother and son ran through the underground corridors once again.

* * *

XI  
Tevarion's Declaration of War

  
**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
In the command center, all was going according to plan. At least, that was what Tevarion thought. He had no idea Moira and Lucas had escaped.  
« Gentlemen, it is time we officially announced our and HYPERION's existence to the outside world. Prepare HYPERION for another shot and stand-by to open a broadband channel on all frequencies. »  
« Yessir. » Several technicians go to their consoles and started to implement changes in the cannon's angle. A few other men took care of the broadband signal.  
« Target, sir ? » the targeting officer asked.  
« A stretch of open land not far from Deling City, Galbadia Continent. We don't want to hurt any people. » Tevarion grinned. « Yet. »  
« Aye sir. » The targeting officer got to work. In its bay, the HYPERION cannon angled upward a bit and turned 27 degrees to its left, directing itself to mirror satellite 16. From there, the ray would go to satellite 13, then to 8, to 4 and finally, it would be sent down to its target. « Target acquired. »  
« Stand-by on the broadband signal. » Tevarion ordered.  
« Ready, sir. » the comm officer reported.  
« Cannon ready. All systems green. » someone reported from his console.  
« Fire. » Tevarion ordered. Then he added : « Broadband signal. »  
The telltale mess of hasty status reports echoed through the command center. « Cannon onlinepower flow stabletargeting systems synched with satellites 16, 13, 8 and 4cannon is firingenabling broadband signal »  
Outside, the cannon fired its red energy ray into the air. The beam sped to satellite 16, bounced off on its mirror and was relayed to 13. From there, the ray was deflected to satellite 8 and hit 4's mirror. Mirror satellite 4 sent the ray to its destination : the targeted stretch of land not far from Deling City in Galbadia. The result was everything Tevarion had hoped. The beam slammed into the ground, making an ominous crater. The people in Deling City got a good scare when the air colored bright red and beam hit.  
Just after the ray had struck, every screen on the face of the world was filled with static. Then the impact of the beam was shown. After that, the face of commander Tevarion replaced the image.  
« _People of the world. You've just witnessed our project in full action. I, Tevarion, hereby declare myself leader of this world. Every nation has one week to surrender to us. If there should be any resistance, we will target more precisely. Cities and villages to be more exact._ » He bent closer to the screen. « _Remember : one week and no resistance_. »  
Then, the screens showed static once again before going to their usual displays.  
« Nicely done, sir. » Burke, his second-in-command said.  
« Thank you. » Tevarion nodded. « By the way, check on our 'guests'. See how they're doing. »  
« Yessir. » Burke went to a console and typed in a few commands. The screen switched to a view of Moira and Lucas' cell. What he saw sent a shiver up his spine. The door was wide open. « Sir, they're gone ! »  
« WHAT !? » Tevarion whirled around.  
« The door is open. How did they get out ? That's a magnetic lock. »  
Tevarion wasted no time and summoned to him as much Jennai Soldiers as he could.  
« The prisoners have escaped. Your mission is to find them. However, don't hurt or kill them. The first one that does so, will pay with his life. Find them and place them in another cell. Understood ? »  
« Understood. » they all acknowledged as one.  
« Good. Move out ! »  
The soldiers turned and hurried out the command center to find the two escapees.

**_Elega settlement, Neron Continent_**  
The hovercraft reached the harbor and moored to its designated pier. All passengers disembarked, including our seven friends. The ride to this continent had taken all day and now night was creeping in. Selphie scratched the back of her head.  
« Gosh, night already and I don't feel tired. »  
« We'd better get some sleep or else our internal biological clock will be confused. » Duncan said.  
« Let's go, people. » Squall took the lead to the Elega Inn. When they entered, they were confronted with a mess. All the people present sat huddled near the television set in a corner of the main room.  
« What's going on ? » Rinoa wondered. She'd just asked this, when Squall's comm unit started beeping. « Leonhart here. » he said after taking the comm unit out of his pocket and switching it on.  
« _Squall, headmaster Cid here. We've just got confirmation of a strike on Deling City in Galbadia. No injuries. We've got a message stating this attack is merely a warning. This guy who calls himself Tevarion has declared himself leader of the world. All nations have one week to surrender. No resistance or else he'll target more precisely_. »  
« Surrender or die. » Squall slipped in.  
« _You could say that. Anyway, if there's any resistance he threatened to blow up cities and villages_. »  
« That sucks ! » Zell shook with frustrated rage.  
« _I know Zell._ » Cid agreed. « _And something else : we've received an e-mail from Moira._ »  
When he heard that, Skywalker's heart leapt up. « From Moira ? »  
« _Yes. There wasn't any text. Just blueprints or something. In the lower right corner something is written : schematics - HYPERION cannon_. »  
« That must be that cannon they're using. » Duncan wondered. « Thank you, Moira. » he added silently.  
That was the ultimate proof she was still alive and okay. Duncan felt relieved beyond words. However, that went down a little because he didn't know about his two kids.  
« _We have to assume that that is indeed the case_. » Cid said. « _Be careful guys. _» he added.  
« We will. » Rinoa said.   
In the meantime, Squall had gone to a public computer terminal and had gained access to Garden's computer system through remote access sequences using a superuser account he personally had set up some time in the past. He took the comm unit from Rinoa. « Where's the file ? »  
«_ In the schematics subfolder of the mail program_. »  
Squall opened the mail and accessed the schematics.  
« Holy hell. » Zell said for all of them.  
« _Indeed Zell_. » Cid agreed once again. « _Holy hell. _»

**_Dyenso village_**  
In the early morning, everything was being prepared for the rescue of Catherine's mother and brother. Every able-bodied warrior ran to and fro with weapons and other stuff and supplies. Some ten men were al set and ready to go. Catherine watched them with awe. What seemed like a regular village had seemed to have transformed into a military installation.  
« Gosh, you guys sure kow how to stack arms. »  
« We do, don't we ? » Jeb asked with a grin.  
Talinn joined them. « We're all set. We set out in ten minutes. »  
« I'm coming too. » Cathy said. Archie, her wolf-friend, leapt up. He wanted to come along as well.  
« You'd better stay here. » Talinn suggested. « Where you'll be safe. Let us handle it. »  
« Stay here and miss all the fun. » she pouted. « No way. »  
« Come on. » Jeb cut in. « What can you do in a situation like this ? »  
« This for instance. » She grabbed Jeb by the wrist and threw him over her shoulder. He went flying through the air and landed a few meters further flat on his back. « And that's not all. » she added.  
Jeb got to his feet and charged at her. « Why you little »  
That was all he could say when Cathy sent him flying again. This time into the open door of a nearby cabin. A lot of noise was heard when the unfortunate Jeb crashed into the kitchen.  
« I rest my case. » they heard him moan. « She can come along for all I care. »  
« I think she could be of some use. » the Chief said with a smile.  
« Yeah, perhaps. We'll see. » Talinn said and moved off to the waiting warriors. « Come on. » Cathy followed close behind.  
The group left the village and disappeared in the woods. Ringo and Talinn took point, followed by Cathy. The rest of the men followed close behind. They came into a clearing from where the barrel of the HYPERION cannon could be clearly seen.  
« That thing must be huge. » one of the men said.  
« Yeah, it's huge alright. » another agreed.  
« Don't fall behind back there. » Talinn said, looking over her shoulder.  
After some fifteen minutes of walking through the woods, they ran into a patrol of fifteen Jennai Soldiers. Their orders had stated that if they saw Catherine they should capture her and bring her in. However, now there were twelve people from Dyenso Village with her who were fighting the soldiers. Cathy defended her as well of course, but the villagers kept the soldiers away from her.  
Suddenly five of them broke through the defense line and went for Cathy. Archie growled beside her, ready to jump in and attack. She was outmatched. Five against one. _What would father do ?_ she wondered. It wasn't fair. Then, she felt something deep down inside. A sense of control.  
« Stay away from me ! » she yelled and unwillingly released a burst of raw Lifestream energy. The energy wave shot up from the ground and killed the five soldiers and a handful of other Jennai Soldiers nearby. The others were dealt with by the villagers.  
« And that's that. » Ringo said while sheathing his sword.  
Talinn knelt beside Cathy who was staring in front of her, shocked beyond words. « You okay ? »  
« I I killed them. » she stammered and looked at Talinn. « I killed them. »  
Archie sat down beside her and looked up at his mistress.  
Talinn laid her hands on hers shoulders and felt she was shaking all over. « It's okay. » she said reassuringly. « They were the enemy. We had to defend ourselves. »  
« Yes, but »  
« Let me tell you about these soldiers, Cathy. » Talinn looked Cathy straight in the eye. « These soldiers are merciless and ruthless. They carry out their commander's orders without hesitation or questions asked. Killing them is the only way to stop them. »  
« It is ? »  
Talinn nodded. « It is the only way. They first Jennai Soldier was built gene by gene and the other soldiers are copies of the first. »  
« As in clones ? » Cathy asked, feeling better. She had stopped shaking during Talinn's explanation.  
« Clones, yes. »  
« How do you know all this ? »  
« Because I've seen it. I was there when Jennai sent forth his new soldiers. »  
« Was my father there too ? »  
« He was. » Talinn replied with a smile. « They didn't stand a chance against him. »  
Cathy smiled. « He's great, isn't he ? »  
« Indeed he is. » Talinn smiled back.  
Ringo approached the two. « Why don't we take five ? She can come to her senses while we dispose of the soldiers. »  
« Good idea. » Talinn agreed. « What do you think ? » she asked Cathy.  
« Great idea. » she said. « I could use a bit of rest. »  
« Okay then. » Ringo turned back to the ten villagers who had come along. « Okay boys, get rid of those soldiers and then take a break if you want to. »  
Some of them had been injured and were being treated by the others.  
As they got rid of the dead soldiers, Cathy sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree and stroked Archie over his head.  
She wondered if they would find her mother and brother in time.  
Someone gave a yell and pointed to the barrel of the HYPERION cannon change position. A few moments later, it fired.  
Cathy took the control card out of her pocket. « Guess my little sabotage attempt was not successful. »  
« Where'd you get that ? » Ringo asked.  
« I took it when I was on my way here. The soldiers were gone for a moment. I took advantage of that and snatched this control card. » Cathy explained.  
« And they managed to bypass it. » Talinn said. « Damn. »

* * *

XII  
Movements

  
**_Elega settlement_**  
When Talinn and her team were preparing themselves, Skywalker opened the door leading to the balcony. From there, he had a view of the surrounding area and the woods beyond the walls protecting the settlement. He leaned on the railing while looking over the treetops, wondering what his wife and kids were doing now. Or something far worse. However, the feeling was vague. Somewhere out there, he could vaguely sense the presence of those loved ones he was seeking. He had to assume they were okay. Moira could take care of herself. And Lucas and Cathy too ; especially when they were working together as he'd experienced back home.  
A hovercraft departed for a destination somewhere in the west. The noise from it's propellor engines could be heard from the relatively distant harbor area.  
Sighing, he went back inside, put on his coat and equipped his Daïkatana. Duncan went downstairs and found the others already waiting for him.  
« Took you long enough. » Selphie said, being her usual cheery self.  
« Selphie, give the man a break. » Irvine said, seeing that Duncan was still worrying about his wife and two children.  
« Sorry. » she said, a bit disappointed. « Just trying to have a good time. »  
« It's okay, Selphie. » Duncan said. « You be your usual self. I don't mind at all. »  
« See ? » She hit Irvine right on his shoulder. « Don't be such a grouch. »  
« Okay okay. » Irvine complained.  
« Let's just grab a bite to eat. » Rinoa said and moved off to the main room of the inn. Squall shrugged as if saying « She's got a point » and followed. The rest followed as well, getting some breakfast and after that, looking for a way into the dense forests of Neron Continent.  
« You know these roads better than we do. » Squall said, turning to Duncan. « How do we go in there ? »  
« I went in on foot. » Skywalker replied. « But it would be better for the girls if we could use some transportation. » He looked around, searching for something. His eye fell on a chocobo farm a bit further. « Like chocobos, for instance. »  
« Yay, chocobos. » Selphie cheered. « Let's get going then. »  
They made their way to the farm and got five chocobos which would take them into the woods of Neron Continent.  
Duncan got on his chocobo and spurred it. « Yah ! » The chocobo sped forwards at almost full speed.  
« Hey ! Wait up ! » Selphie yelled and spurred her own. Irvine had his arms around her waist, hanging on for dear life as Selphie let te chocobo race after Duncan's. The others followed.  
« Duncan sure doesn't waste any time, does he ? » Rinoa asked, holding on to Squall.  
« Nope. » the latter agreed.  
« Do you know where to go ? » Selphie yelled ahead at Skywalker.  
« If my hunch is correct, yeah I do. » he yelled over his shoulder. He brought his chocobo alongside Selphie's. « But it'll take some time to get there. »  
« How long ? » Squall asked.  
« Two days at the most. »  
« So where is it we're going ? » Rinoa wanted to know.  
« If my gut feeling isn't playing tricks on me, we'll be able to find out a whole lot when we reach Dyenso Village. »  
« Let's get moving. » Quistis suggested.  
« Hold on. » Squall cut in. « If we start racing, we'll exhaust our rides. »  
« Yeah, we'd better take it easy. » Zell added.  
Everyone slowed their chocobos down to half their usual speed.

**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
Lucas and Moira were still racing through the underground corridors of Tevarion's base. Not so long ago, she'd mailed the cannon's schematics to Garden. She could only hope that headmaster Cid was smart enough to warn Squall and maybe in doing so, alert her husband as well.  
She rounded a corner and saw a door open further at the end of the corridor. « Back. » she hissed. The two crept back into a dark corner and held their breath. Ten Jennai Soldiers ran past them, not one of them looking at the place they were using as hideout. But then Lucas accidently kicked a can. It made one hell of a ruckus as it clattered across the concrete floor.  
« Dammit Lucas. » Moira swore silently.  
« Sorry. » Lucas tried to apologise.  
One of the soldiers came back to investigate. With a flashlight, he illuminated the location from where the noise had been heard. The beam moved across the wall to the two escapees' hideout. Moira wasted no time when the light beam reached them and kicked the soldier clear in the face. It happened so fast the soldier didn't have time to react. He spun around several times before landing hard on the concrete floor. Dazed, he tried to get to his feet but Moira's foot connected with his jaw again and sent the soldier sprawling. Taking advantage of the situation, she lunged out, grabbed the knife that was on the soldier's belt and rammed it through his chest. Lucas stood gaping at his mother who'd just killed that soldier. « Mom, you'd » he tried to say.  
« I know, son. » she reassured him. « Just returning the favor. »  
She hauled the now dead soldier into the dark area they had been hiding in moments before. Then, she stripped him of everything they could use. The submachine gun, for starters, Moira hung over her shoulder. She also took the radio and the field rations. The knife she gave to Lucas.  
« Whereto now ? » Lucas asked, taking the knife.  
« I'm not sure. » Moira looked around the deserted corridor. « But we have to sabotage the cannon. I didn't get a good look at the map though. We had to bail pretty fast, remember ? »  
« Yeah. » Lucas nodded.  
« Come on. »  
She took point again, running through the underground corridors that formed the maze which, in turn, formed Tevarion's hideout under the remains of Lakoya City.  
« I wonder where we are. » Lucas broke the silence.  
« I don't know either. »  
« _Unit 615, rendez-vous with Team 65 on Level 3_. » crackled out of the radio. Moira stopped running and turned the volume up a bit. « _Unit 615, respond_. » Several seconds passed. « _615, come in, dammit_. » Then the vague report to someone was heard on the background.  
« Trouble. »  
« What's up, mom ? »  
« They just found out one of their soldiers is missing. Now they'll come looking for him. »  
« Then we'd better put as much distance between us and that dead soldier. » lucas said.  
« Spoken like a true survivor. » Moira smiled and took point once again.

**_Woods of Neron Continent_**  
« Okay people, let's get moving again ! » Talinn got to her feet.  
« Question. » Jeb said.  
« Shoot. »  
« What's the plan when we reach that place ? »  
« I guess we do some good old-fashioned sabotaging, like in the old days. »  
With 'the old days' Talinn meant their struggle against Jennai and his city. Duncan Skywalker had provided them with the necessary tactics and had helped them take down Jennai.  
The team was on the move again. Cathy was walking close to Ringo with Archie by her side. « I'm scared. »  
Ringo didn't quite belive what he was hearing. « So are we. Stay close to us and no harm will come to you. » he reassured her.  
Jeb caught up with Talinn and Ringo. « Say, any idea when Skywalker'll arrive ? He's on his way right ? »  
Ringo noticed Cathy stare in front of her with a distant look. « He's on his way. With backup. » She'd just sensed Squall and the others' patterns within the Lifestream. All living things had a distinctive pattern which enabled the Skywalker family to sense and distinguish them.  
« Backup ? » Jeb asked.  
« Yes, six people. » The distant look was replaced by her usual clear eyes as she lost the sense.  
« Where are they now ? » Jeb asked impatiently.  
« I lost it. » she said.  
« What ? Argh, c'mon. »  
« Jeb, give her a break. » Talinn barked. « We know he's on his way and bringing backup. We just have to wait and see. »  
« Yeah. » Ringo agreed. « In the meantime let's get Cathy's mother and brother out of there. »  
Grumbling, Jeb went back to his position as the team moved on to the remains of Lakoya City. Sticking out of the treetops, the barrel of the HYPERION cannon could still be seen.

**_Lunar Base_**  
The sensor officer rubbed his eyes. Scans in the infrared and ultraviolet band of the spectrum of the planet's visible hemisphere had revealed nothing. Not one single platform popped up on the sensors. The officer went to get himself some coffee. Perhaps that could clear his head and drive away the fatigue.  
Lunar Base had been scanning continuously for these 'orbital platforms' for the past seventeen hours. And still nothing came up. He sat down again at his console and took a sip from his coffee. The screen still showed the visible curve of the planet and the moon in the distance. But no positive contacts that would indicate there were orbital platforms capable of deflecting rays of directed energy.  
Annoyed, he set the scanning sequence on a sidetrack and redirected some of the sensors to the planet surface. Almost immediately, the HYPERION cannon became visible on his screen.  
« Maybe if I set the sensors to scan for the same metallurgic composition of that thing. » he murmured and implemented the changes. The sensors went to work, trying to detect the elusive platforms.  
The crew of Lunar Base had also seen the red ray shoot up from a certain location within Grandini Forest. The sensors had immediately detected the energy release. The beam had bounced off of on unseen objects and hit the ground not far from Deling City. Then, the screens on Lunar Base had also shown Tevarion's message, or his declaration of war to be more exact. His ultimatum for every government on the face of the planet to surrender to him before the week was out. The sensor officer wondered how president Laguna would react to that.  
The console beeped. No positive contacts.

**_Presidential palace, Esthar City_**  
« Never ! » Laguna flared and banged on the desk. « This jackass can send up as many energy rays as he wants but he'll never lay his hands on Esthar City. »  
« We still have a bit less than one week. » Kiros said. « Surely Squall is on the case. »  
« Let's hope so. » Laguna sighed. He went to his desk and made a comm link to Balamb Garden. When he got through to headmaster Cid, he asked if Squall had found out what all this was about. Cid told him that he hadn't received any updates yet. Alongside Duncan Skywalker, Squall and his team were still spitting out this situation. Esthar's president thanked him and closed the link.  
« Well, that's one good sign. »  
« Indeed. » Kiros agreed.  
Every screen in the city had shown the impact of Tevarion's ray and his ultimatum. Because of this, the people got scared. A handful of them had stated that he should surrender to Tevarion. Laguna had merely said that they were overreacting.  
« They'll find out what's going on. » Kiros said as Laguna sat down behind his desk and swiveled his chair around to look out the window across the city. « Besides, Skywalker's with them. They can't fail. »  
« No they can't. »  
He sighed and turned back o his desk and got up. « Better ready the Esthar soldiers. You might never know when it may come down to a showdown. »  
« Right. I'm on it. » Kiros left to notify the soldiers they were on stand-by.

* * *

  
XIII  
Moira's Plan

  
**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
Moira and Lucas raced through the underground maze of concrete corridors. A hailstorm of bullets ricocheted over their heads. The two ducked behind the corner. Moira took the submachine gun she'd taken from the dead soldier. « Blasted. » she cursed.  
She peered around the corner and saw a handful of Jennai Soldiers standing further down the corridor. « Damn them for all eternity. » she hissed and readied the submachine gun. The safety was flipped off and Moira leaned out and fired a short burst. When she took cover behind the corner again, she heard at least one body hitting the concrete floor. One down, several more to go.  
« Can't we take another route ? » Lucas asked.  
« Nope. » she replied and checked the clip. Still enough bullets to make a reasonable stand. A burst of bullets from the patrol chipped off the concrete of their corner. The two ducked away. « This is the only corridor that gives access to the engineering section of this hellhole. »  
« So what do we do ? »  
« I'm not sure yet. » she peered around the corner once again and examined the layout of the corridor. Aside from the bare concrete walls, there were several conduits which lined the walls. She was looking for one specific color : green. That color represented a flammable carbon-based gas. It had been discovered not so long ago and had proven to be a useful source of energy. But as for every combustible energy source, it wasn't going to be around indefinitely. Sooner or later, centuries hence, it would be gone.   
She leaned back, a plan ready in the back of her mind. « Better take good cover. »  
Lucas crawled back, until he was well away from the corner they were using as cover. Moira leaned out once again and fired a round of bullets at the conduit. The conduit breached and one bullet ricocheted off a metal ring and made a spark which ignited the released gas. The result was that an enormous explosion killed the remaining soldiers. But the downside was that a raging flame was blocking the corridor.  
But Moira was counting on the safety mechanisms strewn throughout this underground facility. That maniac could be crazy, but he surely would have installed safety measures. And he had done so. A few seconds after the blast, a siren wailed, the gas supply was cut to this part of the corridors and fire extinguishers in the walls spewed out white foam. This choked the roaring flames and put them out.  
« Let's go. » Moira took the lead again with her son close behind and ran through the corridors again. They had to get out of there before more soldiers would come along with a repair crew. But before they ran on, Moira stripped the soldiers of their gear. Several submachine gun clips were taken as well as the knives and rations. She also took another submachine gun to be on the safe side should the one she was carrying now, jam. Lucas looked at the soldiers lying on the ground. They were all charred and burned. One of them had lost a part of his helmet in the blast. A part of his burned face was visible and one lifeless eye stared straight at him. The boy backed away.  
« Relax. » his mother said calmly. « He's not going to do any more mischief in this lifetime. »  
« He's dead ? »  
« Of course. No one could've survived that blast. » She put the last of the clips in her pocket and got up. « Come on. Let's keep moving. »  
The two ran again while the commander tried in vain to reach the squad in Corridor 32 Beta.

**_Woods of Neron Continent_**  
The chocobos slid easily through the foliage of the forest. It was as if they were made to run around in there. Already the sun had climbed to its highest point in the sky, indicating it was a bit past high noon.  
« I think I need to take a break. » Rinoa said.  
« I agree. » Squall amended and relayed the message to Duncan.  
« Okay, we take five. » He let his chocobo stop in a clearing and dismounted. The others dismounted as well and stretched their sore muscles.  
« Man, riding chocobos is fun. But not something to do for nearly all day. » Selphie said rubbing her back.   
« You'll get used to it. » Duncan said. « It's not that bad. In the beginning, I had trouble as well. But now, I can ride them all day if I have to. »  
« You're not gonna do so with us around, are you ? » Quistis asked.  
« Of course not. » Skywalker smiled. « I'll go easy on you guys. »  
« Oh good. » Zell sighed. He noticed Irvine walking around rather awkward. « Hey Irvine, what's up ? Why you walking so weird ? »  
« I kinda sat on the edge of that saddle. » he complained with a slightly painful grimace. Selphie couldn't help but giggle. Irvine paid no attention to her and slowly sat down on a fallen tree.  
« Well, I'd never thought of being in Grandini Forest in my lifetime. » Zell said, looking at the ominous trees surrounding them.  
Duncan walked around, putting the parts of the puzzle they had found out in their place. His wife and two kids had been kidnapped by a group unknown. They had taken them to a hovercraft port and set course for Neron Continent. Where they were he didn't know, but he was getting close. Skywalker had a gut feeling that he was getting near and if he ever found the one who had kidnapped Moira, Cathy and Lucas would have to answer to him. He took a deep breath, held it for a moment and let it out slowly. He looked down at the ground and noticed something. Footprints. Footprints of a child. His heart lept up. These specific prints looked familiar. They were Cathy's. He'd recognise them at once.  
« She's okay. »  
« Huh ? » Zell asked, turning around. « Who's okay ? »  
« Cathy. » Skywalker said with a smile. « These are her footprints. I recognise them. Somehow, she must've found a way to escape. »  
« That's all very interesting. » Squall said. « But these woods are ominous. Duncan, no offense but she could've perished in there. »  
Everyone thought that Skywalker would flare up but he merely smiled. « Not Cathy. She's a survivor. And so is Lucas. They're like me. They'll find a way to stay alive. »  
« Let's hope that she still is. » Rinoa said. « And time for us to move on. »  
With one last look at his daughter's footprints, Skywalker got on his chocobo. The others were also ready. Duncan took point and the group vanished in the foliage again.

**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
Tevarion laughed as he heard the report that Squad 132 had pinned down the two escapees in Corridor 32 Beta. « Send in an additional squad to 'escort' our guests back to their cell. »  
« Yessir. » the officer at the comm station saluted. But before he could relay the order, the underground bunker rumbled when a part of the green pipeline Moira had fired on, exploded.  
« What was that ? »  
« We've got a breach in gas line 543 in Corridor 32 Beta. » one of the techs reported. « Safety measures active. Gas supply cut, fire extinguished. »  
« Squad 132, come in. » Tevarion activated his radio. No response. « Squad 132, this is Commander Tevarion. Come in ... Respond ! » Still nothing. « Status on the systems in Corridor 32 Beta ? »  
« Most of the systems are offline, however a few of them are still functioning at fifty percent. Readings are inconsistent, but it looks like the squad's dead. »  
« Damn them. » Tevarion swore under his breath.

Upon leaving Corridor 32 Beta, Moira took a left turn to the engineering section. Hopefully, she could use her SeeD training to sabotage some of the systems. Namely those of the HYPERION project. When she rounded the corner, Moira froze and pushed Lucas against the wall while pressing herself against it as well. Standing next to one another with their backs to the wall, Moira pointed up at a piece of machinery near the ceiling not far from their postion. « Camera. Looks like they've got this place scoped out to the max. »  
« What do we do now ? » Lucas asked.  
Moira didn't reply at once, but kept an eye on the camera. When it turned away, she took her son's hand and ran to a position right under the camera. When it turned away in the other direction, the two ran on and disappeared around the corner. They passed a door on which was written 'Power supply HYPERION project'.  
« Well well. » Moira grinned. « How convenient of them. »  
Opening the door to a narrow slit, she peered inside. No one was there. She opened the door and went inside, Lucas following close behind. He closed the door behind him and looked around. Massive machines were producing massive amounts of power for the HYPERION cannon to use. This energy was used to make the cannon move and fire its red energy ray. And possibly, it produced power for this entire facility as well.   
The two passed a machine which was responsible for distributing the power to different areas of this underground hellhole, as Moira liked to call it. It was fairly big with a lot of cartwheels. It sort of looked like the inside of an old-fashioned clock. She turned to her son. « Ever seen one of these ? »  
« No. » Lucas admitted. « What are you gonna do ? »  
« Sabotage. » his mother merely said.  
« How ? »  
« What can cause a machine like this to malfunction ? »  
« I don't know. » Lucas shrugged. « Decay over time, I guess. Or something happens to it, like something gets in there that doesn't belong there. »  
« Close. » Moira said and took a monkey wrench out of a toolbox she had found in the meantime. « Watch. »  
She threw in the wrench and backed away. The room instantly was filled with screeching noises and cracking metal as the wrench fell in between the wheels. The machine stopped and in most sections, the power was cut off.  
« What easily causes a machine like this to malfunction, » Moira explained.   
« is throwing a monkey wrench in between the cartwheels. » Lucas finished.  
« You got it. »  
« _Power failure_. » a computer voice echoed through the base. « _Initiating backup power supply_. » The lights came back on.  
« Damn. Backup generator. » Moira swore.  
« Are we gonna sabotage that too ? » Lucas asked.  
« That might be a good idea. » his mother said, thinking. « But we'll have to move fast. Now that we've managed to sabotage the power system, they'll be warier. »  
The two went back to the door. Moira opened it and peered in the corridor. No one. But the faint sound of running was getting louder. « They're coming. We'd better get moving. »

**_Presidential Palace, Esthar City_**  
Laguna was reviewing files on special projects which had seen the light of life in the past few years. Several were deemed useless to deal with this situation. The next file was also a dead end. Nothing they could use to stop this bastard's cannon.  
Kiros came in, carrying a can of coffee. « Thought you could use a cup. » He set the can on the desk and cast an eye on the screen. « What're you doing, anyway ? »  
« Trying to find a way to stop that asshole's energy ray. Lunar Base still hasn't found those 'orbital platforms' they spoke of. We need a line of defense here or we'll be wiped away by that ray. For what it takes, the next target could be Esthar. »  
« Indeed. » Kiros agreed. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then his eyes became alive again. « I just remembered something. »  
« Like what ? »  
« Remember that project in Galbadia ? » Kiros asked. Laguna called up the data on projects in Galbadia.  
« MAJIVE ? » Laguna read off the screen.  
« That's the one. » Kiros smiled. « It's roughly the same concept as that madman's cannon. But the downside is that it wasn't completed. Lack of funds. »  
« Or the unwillingness of the government to supply them. »  
« That's also possible. » Kiros agreed.  
« Complete or not. » Laguna said, overviewing the data on the Galbadian MAJIVE-project. « Now we've got something. »

* * *

XIV  
The Activation Of MAJIVE

  
MAJIVE had been HYPERION's predecessor. The Galbadians had conducted some research in the direction of directed energy weapons. The output system, namely the cannon, was built as a large satellite dish to mask its true purpose. The Galbadian scientists had discovered that MAJIVE worked best when it was linked to two supercomputers, designated ICARUS and DAEDALUS. Both computers had enough processing power to take care of all the sequences involved when firing a shot. The complex in which the MAJIVE-project was housed, was located somewhere in the Galbadian mountains. Its exact location was, of course, classified and known only to a strictly select group of Galbadian officials.   
However, when Duncan and Squall and his friends had fried Galbadia's Lexan supercomputer, they couldn't porceed anymore with the classified MAJIVE-project. Thus, it was shut down and filed in the archives where it faded from the minds of the people.  
Little did they know that the project would be dug up again sometime soon.

A handful of SeeD cadets were on their way to the complex which had been located during one of the Ragnarok's expeditions. The location had been recorded but deemed useless and was stored in the memory banks of Garden. Until now.  
Eight SeeD vans stopped near the entrance of the MAJIVE complex. The occupants stepped out and overlooked the cracked walls of the place.  
« What a mess. » one of them said. His name was Jack.  
« Yeah. » a girl, Sera, agreed. « Typical of the Galbadians to let this place go to waste when they don't need it anymore. »  
These two had been temporarily assigned to be the squad leaders.  
Sera turned to face her squad. « Okay, people. Let's move. »  
Jack relayed the same order to his squad. Both squads went inside the building.  
« Do you figure we could stop that deranged guy with just a satellite dish ? » Jack asked, having some doubts about the orders they had been given.  
« Beats me. » Sera replied. « Cid said we'd get our data when we were on site. Let's go to the center point of the complex where all the commands are given. »  
« Sounds good to me. »  
The two SeeD squads moved deeper within the complex. Headmaster Cid had sent them to Galbadia to check out the status of the MAJIVE complex after he'd gotten a message in which Laguna had explained his idea. Cid had immediately dispatched two squads.  
They arrived in the central command center. On all the consoles lay years worth of dust.  
« Well, we're here. » Sera said and took her comm unit. « Balamb Garden, SeeD squads 1 and 2 are on site. »  
« _Acknowledged._ » Cid's voice came back. « _See what you can find out on the operational status._ »  
« Yessir. » Sera acknowledged. « But what are we specifically looking for, sir ? The only thing we've seen so far is carcked walls, dusty consoles in the command center and a huge satallite dish nearby. »  
« _I guess I should tell you guys. Right now, you're standing in the central command center of the forgotten Galbadian MAJIVE project. Your mission is to ascertain the operational status of the entire project_. »  
« Right. We're on it sir. » Sera signed off.  
« MAJIVE ? » Jack could hardly believe it. « Did he really say MAJIVE ? »  
« He did. » Sera nodded. « Let's get busy, people ! »  
The squads spread out and the first thing they noticed was that there wasn't any power available.  
« Power's out. » someone reported.  
« Take two others with you and see if you can get main power back online. » Sera ordered.  
« Gotcha. » The SeeD cadet ran off with two others in tow. Jack and Sera went to the main console which incorporated the directing and firing controls.  
« Let's hope we can get this baby online before that madman starts to shoot accurately. » Jack said, looking at the big black main viewscreen on the wall.  
« Yeah. » Sera agreed. « I'd hate to see Balamb Town be shot to bits. Not to mention Winhill. I've been there on vacation once. »  
« You never mentioned that. » Jack smiled. « I've never been to Winhill. What's it like out there ? »  
« There's lots of flowers in the fields outside the town. Last I heard, Laguna had stayed there for a while. »  
« No way. » Jack couldn't believe his ears. « Laguna ? The president of Esthar City ? »  
« The same. »  
« So wanna go out to dinner sometime ? » Jack asked but when Sera wanted to reply, she was cut off by the beeping of her comm unit.  
« _Bart to Sera. You got your ears on ?_ »  
« Yeah Bart. Talk to me. What's up ? »  
« _Bad news. The relays are all worthless. And on top of that, the jump start batteries are totally drained_. »  
« Great. » Sera muttered. « See what you can do to get main power online. »  
« _Copy that_. »

Bart Maxwell turned and examined the fried relays. « Okay, let's try and get these babies online. »  
« Anyone got a bike ? » Simon, one of the two technicians asked with a playful smile.  
« A bike ? » Maxwell asked. « What for ? »  
« Maybe we could hook it up and try to activate this joint by pedalling. »  
« I think it's gonna take more than a bike to start this place up. » the other tech, Jeff, corrected with a look at Simon.  
« Like what, Mr Smartass ? » Simon shot back.  
« A high power flow or something with a lot of voltage. » Simon simply said.  
« High voltage. » Maxwell muttered and looked around the dimly lit engineering section of the MAJIVE project. He took his flashlight when he thought to have seen something that might come in handy. And he saw well. Several large Argonium batteries stood nearby. « We're in luck guys. »  
« What are those ? » Simon asked.  
« You're a technician and you don't know what these are ? » Bart asked while tapping on one of the batteries. Simon shrugged. « These are Argonium batteries. These babies almost last a lifetime. They're based on a mixture of lithium and argon gas which allows the battery to absorb loads of power when charged. »  
« All right. » Jeff cheered. « Let's hook them up and see what happens. »  
The three techs rolled the batteries to the drained jump start batteries. They hooked three up, cleaned up the relays and Simon pressed the 'Activate' control.  
Nothing happened.  
« Three more. » Maxwell said.  
Three more batteries were hooked up and Simon pressed the control once again. The lights came on and some other machinery, but that was all that could be powered with this much power.  
« Let's hook 'em all up. » Simon suggested. The remaining seven Argonium batteries were hooked up and Simon pressed the 'Activate' control one final time.  
This time, the consoles hummed to life, the lights shone brighter and the machines started to work.  
« Okay. » Bart said. « Power's up. » He took his com unit while he transferred power to the other parts of the complex.

« How come we've never heard of this Tevarion character before ? » Jack wondered, leaning against the main console.  
« You got me there. » Sera said. « Maybe some guy who holds a grudge or something. Or maybe he is indeed mad enough to think he can take over the world. »  
« Anyway. » Jack changed the subject. « You didn't answer my question about dinner sometime. »  
« I don't know, Jack. » Sera said with a small sigh. « Maybe in the near future. I've got a lot on my mind right now. »  
« Women problems ? »  
« Yeah. » Sera nodded. That was exactly the word she had been looking for. « Women problems. »  
« I see. » Jack said, clearly disappointed.  
Sera's comm unit beeped while the consoles and other machines and screens hummed to life. « Sera here. »  
« _Maxwell here. You've got your power_. »  
« Excellent work. Get back here on the double. »  
« _We'll be there in a jiffy. Maxwell out_. »  
Sera switched her comm unit off. Within five minutes, the three technicians were back in the command center.  
« Okay people, let's see what we can dig up. » Jack ordered his squad. Sera's order was roughly the same.  
The main viewscreen was filled with data on the status of MAJIVE. The satellite dish-shaped cannon was currently out of backup power. One order from Jack and the backup batteries began to receive their power. Slowly, maneuvering capability was being returned to the cannon.  
« A little bit more. » Sera said under her breath.  
When the backup batteries were fully charged, one of the Balamb techs let the dish make one full lateral turn. Then, came the vertical alignment sequences. The dish made a full 180 degree sweep, as if tracking an object which was coming directly overhead.  
« Status on DAEDALUS and ICARUS ? » Sera inquired.  
« ICARUS is currently at 78 percent efficiency and improving. » a tech reported from the ICARUS computer console.  
« DAEDALUS at 86 percent efficiency and rising. » the tech seated at the DAEDALUS console reported.  
« So within the next fifteen minutes we'll be able to synch the entire MAJIVE project. » Sera estimated, eyeing the data on the huge main screen. Two bars which were respectively labeled 'ICARUS' and 'DAEDALUS' slowly filled as their processing power was being restored.  
Outside, night was creeping in and stars emerged from the twilight. Around 19:00 hours, both supercomputers had their usual processing power restored.  
« DAEDALUS fully active. » the tech reported.  
« ICARUS active as well. » the other added.  
« Synch MAJIVE. » Jack ordered.  
Everyone began to input commands, prepping the system for the synching of the entire MAJIVE project.  
« DAEDALUS ready. » the DAEDALUS tech reported.  
« ICARUS ready. » the ICARUS tech added right thereafter.  
« Synching MAJIVE. » another technician announced. He was sitting at the main console which held the directing and firing controls. The complex was filled with a humming noise as DAEDALUS and ICARUS linked and then linked themselves to the dish-shaped cannon assembly. All checklights on the screen switched to a soft green as the synch was completed.  
« MAJIVE synch completed. »  
« Well, that went well. » Jack smiled.  
« Now, we test the thing. » Sera said.  
« What ? » Jack stammered. « You mean fire it ? »  
« Of course. »  
« Then they'll find us. That Tevarion creep will then know we've got an ace up our sleeve. »  
Sera thought it over. « Hmm. You're right. Last I heard he's got 'orbital platforms' as Lunar Base once had reported. If we fire this thing, he'll surely notice. »  
« Hey boss, maybe we could simulate a shot. » the DAEDALUS tech suggested.  
« Great idea. »  
« How do we do it ? » Jack asked the next important question.  
Sera looked at the time. 20:30 hours. « We target a star. » She turned to the main console and gave her first real orders. « Heading for MAJIVE : 2-3-5, mark 1-5-8. Vigo in the constellation Libra. »  
The dish-shaped cannon aligned itself with a star in the sky.  
« Target acquired. No abnormailties. »  
« Fire. »  
« Firing. » MAJIVE went through its simulated sequences and fired the simulated shot. « Sequence complete. Direct hit. »  
Smiling, Sera took her comm unit and made a comm link to Cid's office. « Sir ? MAJIVE is operational. »

  



	4. part4

XV  
Sharing An Ace 

  
In his office on the third floor of Balamb Garden, Cid was working late. The administrative work involved when running a place like this. It was stressful work, but someone had to do it. And that someone was headmaster Cid Kramer.  
He just put the last pack of forms in his desk and wanted to get some sleep when the comm unit started beeping. Should he answer it or not ? He decided to answer it. « Cid here. »  
« _Sir, Sera from SeeD Squad 1. MAJIVE is operational_. »  
« How operational ? »  
« _Fully. We've just completed a simulated shot using a star as target. All systems check out fine_. »  
« Well done. Stay there till further notice. Don't worry about the Galbadians. I've already taken care of that matter. »  
« _Copy that. SeeD Squads 1 and 2 standing by_. »  
« Good. Balamb Garden out. »  
Xu, who was on her way down came in. « What was that all about ? »  
« SeeD Squads 1 and 2 have achieved their mission goals. » Cid said. « They've just activated a Galbadian complex. »  
« A Galbadian complex ? »  
« Yeah, we'll need it to stop that madman who's hiding in Grandini Forest. »  
« I see. And what Galbadian complex are we talking about ? » Xu asked.  
« You know I have to invoke Rule 9 for this matter. » Cid said, eyeing her.  
Rule 9 was used for very sensitive matters in which classified information was handled. It made all cleared personnel keep the information to themselves and not reveal it to personnel who wasn't cleared for the matter at hand.  
« I do, sir. » Xu nodded.  
« As of now, Rule 9 has been invoked. The complex we're talking about is the old MAJIVE complex in the Galbadian mountains. »  
« MAJIVE ? » Xu asked aghast. « As in the Galbadian directed energy weapons research ? »  
« The same. » Cid confirmed. « I was just gonna notify Squall of the recent developments when you came in. »  
« Go ahead, sir. I was on my way to the Dorm anyway. » Xu turned and left.  
Cid reached for the comm unit.

**_Woods of Neron Continent_**  
The chocobos stopped in another clearing when the evening began to fall. Skywalker dismounted and gathered some firewood while the others dismounted as well and herded the birds together. Duncan returned a few minutes later with a lot of firewood and made a fire.  
« Gosh, what a ride. » Zell said, walking around.  
« How much ground did we cover anyway ? » Selphie wondered.  
« I'm not sure in these woods, but we're close to reaching our destination. » Duncan said.  
Rinoa sat down on a log and poked up the fire with a stick. The glow of the flames illuminated the surrounding trees, making it look like they were surrounded by a wall of green and brown.  
Suddenly, Duncan bolted upright and drew his Daïkatana. « Nobody move. »  
Everyone froze.  
« What's going on ? » Rinoa wondered as she saw him heading towards her, blade raised. « Duncan ? » She closed her eyes as the blade came down. She half expected the sword to hit her, but she felt it come down right behind her. « What the ? » She looked behind her and saw a rather large snake lying on the ground with Skywalker's katana through its head.  
« That was close. »  
« What's that ? » Squall wondered.  
« This » Duncan said, holding up the dead snake. « is a 'two step snake'. »  
« Two step snake ? » Irvine blurted out.  
« Indeed. » Duncan nodded. « When this baby bites you, two steps and you're dead. »  
It got really quiet. But that was remedied by Squall's comm unit which began to beep. « Leonhart here. »  
« _Headmaster Cid here, guys. There have been some developments_. »  
« Developments ? » Squall asked, not really knowing where Cid was getting to. Everyone gathered around.  
« _Yes, developments. _» Cid said again. « _Ever heard of MAJIVE ?_ »  
« MAJIVE ? » Zell asked. « What's that ? »  
Cid wanted to clarify it but Rinoa beat him to the punch. « It's a secret Galbadian directed energy weapons reseach project. When I was still in the Timber Wolves faction, I had overheard a conversation between two Galbadian officials who were talking about the MAJIVE project. It uses some other equipment called DAEDALUS and ICARUS. Don't ask me what those are. »  
« _Quite right._ » Cid complimented. « _DAEDALUS and ICARUS are two supercomputers which are linked to each other and the MAJIVE cannon. The entire project is synched as one big assembly._ »  
« But wasn't MAJIVE shut down ? » Rinoa cut in.  
« _It was shut down, my dear Rinoa. We just reactivated it. SeeD Squads 1 and 2 have reinitiated DAEDALUS and ICARUS and succeeded in synching MAJIVE. We have an ace up our sleeve to fight that crazy creep_. »  
« That's good to hear. » Duncan said. « And you're sure that he doesn't suspect a thing ? »  
« _Not that I know of_. »  
« Allright. » Squall cut in. « If there's anything new, let us know. »  
« _Will do. Balamb Garden out_. »  
The connection was severed and Squall put the comm unit back in his pocket.  
« Sorry if I scared you earlier. » Duncan said to Rinoa.  
« No big deal. » She waved the apology away. « If you hadn't killed that snake I would've been well, dead. » She shivered a bit. And it wasn't from a chill. The woods of Neron Continent were dense and kept most of the heat from the day under the green canopy of leaves. The warmth slowly dissipated till a bit over midnight.  
Squall put his hands on her shoulders. « Relax. We owe him bad. I honestly don't know how we can return the favor. »  
« There'll be chances enough. » Skywalker said and sat down on the log.  
Squall took his beloved aside for a moment. « He seems to be taking the situation well enough. »  
« For the moment. » Rinoa added. « I hope we'll get there in time or else I think he's really gonna snap. And it's not gonna be something we witnessed near Esthar City. It'll be worse. »  
They saw him get up when he saw something on the ground not far away.  
« Yo, what're you checking out ? » Zell asked, kneeling beside Duncan who was investigating a set of tracks.  
« She's been here as well. » he smiled. « Cathy's been here. Looks like she got in a fight with one Jennai Soldier. She managed to get away. »  
« Man, how do you see that ? » Zell couldn't quite get Duncan's method of tracking.  
« I had good teachers. » He pointed at something that had withered. « These are the remains of an apple. She must've thrown it at the soldier and then ran like hell. My guess is she hit him on the visor. »  
« That's all very interesting. » Squall cut in. « Where do the tracks lead to ? »  
« Right to where we are heading. » Duncan got up. « I have something to do first. You guys get some rest. »  
« What are you gonna do ? » Selphie asked.  
« I've got a favor to ask from an old friend. » With that, he disappeared in the dense bush. Zell and Irvine shrugged while exchanging a look of confusion. Squall took the first watch while the rest got some shuteye.  
After the mess with Jennai and the destruction of Lakoya City, the Celestial Dragon had chosen a new habitat. It was over the mountains, but he was hoping he would encounter the big jewel-like creature in these woods. And he was in luck. Just as he cleared the bushes, he met up with it.  
_It's been a while_ the Dragon said when it caught sight of Duncan.  
« So it is. » he nodded.  
_What brings you here ? I heard you settled down._  
« I have. And I have a favor to ask of you. »  
The Dragon laid itself down on the ground and its head on its front legs. The Celestial Dragon listened attentively as Duncan explained his situation.

_**Ruins of Lakoya City**_  
The rescue team led by Talinn and Ringo reached the ruins of Lakoya City. They set up camp in the bushes nearby, cautious not to attract any attention to themselves.  
« What happened here ? » Cathy asked, overlooking the destroyed city.  
« Let's just say that your father took care of that. » Talinn said, kneeling beside her and pushing a part of the bush aside. « Well, not entirely. Jennai had fired on the city with his Sigma Ray. »  
« Sigma Ray » Cathy's eyes narrowed as she tried to imagine the effect a directed energy beam would have on this city. In her mind's eye, she saw the magnificent gleaming buildings as Talinn had described be blow the bits of concrete and metal. Talinn had roughly estimated that two thirds of the city had been destroyed. Her companion Archie sat down beside her.  
In the meantime, Jeb and Ringo had made a fire. Everyone sat by it, enjoying the warmth.  
« We need something to divert their attention. » Butch brought up. « If we are to rescue her mother and brother, we need to draw attention to us. »  
« Good plan. » Talinn agreed. « How do we do it ? »  
« I don't have the faintest idea. » Butch sighed.  
« We make one hell of a ruckus. » Jeb said, cheery.  
« A ruckus ? » Ringo asked skeptically and with one eyebrow raised.  
« Yeah, as in a lot of noise. »  
« Yeah right. » Alex grunted.  
« Maybe that's not such a bad idea. » Cathy cut in. All turned to look at her, expecting one half-assed idea. Instead, she explained a fact her father had experienced on an island somewhere up north. The clans used some kind of instrument and using the mountains' natural echo, they made it look like they had the enemy completely surrounded. « Is there an echo around here ? »  
« Yeah, near here. » Butch said. « But we'll need to travel half a day to reach that place. »  
« We do it. » Talinn said, her mind made up. « What can we use ? »  
« I think there are still some war drums in the village. » Alex scratched his head. « I'm not sure though. »  
« Check it out. » Talinn ordered.  
« Now ? It's dark for the Dragon's sake. »  
« Now. » Talinn ordered. « The sooner you get back, the sooner we can move on. »  
« Right. C'mon Jeb. » Alex and Jeb got up and disappeared in the darkness.

**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
Moira and Lucas ran through the corridors of Tevarion's underground base, heading for the location of the backup power generator. Behind them, they heard the muffled voices of the soldiers who were investigating what they've done in the main power room of the engineering section.  
While running, they passed another computer console. Moira slid to a stop. Lucas had noticed it too late and ran on for a short distance before stopping and going to the console his mother was hacking into.  
« Let's see what we have here. » She dug through the vast amounts of data stored in the memory banks. « Hello, what's this ? » She opened a small file which had been created by one of the officers responsible for the targeting sequences. It turned out to be a little reminder to detect the satellites in case the main detection system should fail.  
« What's that ? » Lucas asked.  
His mother smiled. « A way to detect that creep's satellites and to foil his plans. » She read the words on the screen. « Triaxillating frequency covariant bandwith signal infrared ultraviolet ... spectrum isolation sequence 53 Gamma. »  
« That's all Chinese to me. » Lucas said, rubbing his head.  
« But not for me. » Moira said and sent another e-mail to Garden. But what they didn't know was that messages would be diverted to Squall.  
Moira erased her tracks, shut off the terminal and resumed their journey to the auxiliary power supply.

* * *

XVI  
Sniffing Out Tevarion's Satellites

  
_**Woods of Neron Continent**_  
Selphie had taken the next watch several minutes before Duncan returned. Irvine sat next to her. Zell sat on his knees a bit further, trying to make sense of the tracks Duncan had discovered a while ago.  
« Find anything ? » Selphie asked, looking up from the fire.  
« You could say that. » Skywalker replied a bit evenly. « I've met up with an ally I've made in the past. I had a favor to ask and its help might come in handy. »  
« 'It' ? » Selphie asked with a raised eyebrow. « Is this some kind of weird creature ? »  
« Not weird. » Skywalker corrected. « Powerful. »  
« Time to roll out the big guns. » Irvine said with a grin.  
« In due time. » Duncan agreed. « First we have to find Moira and the kids. »  
« Well, we're close to finding your daughter. » Rinoa said while sitting up.  
« Shouldn't you be getting some sleep ? » Irvine wondered.  
« I can't sleep. »  
« Right. »  
« Catherine is close. I can feel it. » Duncan looked straight east at something far away behind the dense foliage.  
« Lunar Base still has problems locating that Tevarion guy's 'platforms'. » Irvine brought up.  
« I'm sure we'll find a way. » Rinoa said. She'd hardly said that when Squall's comm unit began to beep. She reached out and took it out of his pocket while Squall was still waking up from the beeping noise. « What the hell is this ? » she asked while eyeing the message on the screen. The comm unit had also an in-built screen and mail-program.  
« Let me see. » Squall took the device from her and looked over the data on the display. « I can't make heads nor tails out of this. » He too had difficulties interpreting the message.  
Duncan took the device from Squall and eyed the display. After a second, a smile formed on his face.  
« So ? What is it ? » Selphie asked impatiently.  
« It's another message from Moira. » Duncan said. « Send it to Lunar Base. » He turned to Rinoa. « We've just gotten our way of sniffing out those 'platforms'. »  
« Finally. » Selphie cheered. « Send it. Come on. What are you waiting for. »  
« Selphie, relax. » Duncan held up his hand.  
Quistis sat up. The noise Selphie had made had woken her up. « What's all the fuss about ? »  
« Tell you later. » Selphie said in her usual happy way.  
« If that's the case, then let me sleep for pete's sake. » She turned back in.  
« What a grouch. » Zell whispered.  
« I heard that. »  
« Yikes ! » Zell got a scare and shut up.

_**Lunar Base**_  
The sensor officer had fallen asleep at his console. The recent search actions had brought up nothing. Only the two directed energy beams : HYPERION's test shot and the warning shot. The officer nearly fell off his chair as the console beeped. Still nothing. He rubbed his eyes and banged on the console in frustration.  
« Go easy on that, will ya ? » the commander said, breaking the silence.  
The Sensor officer sighed and turned to face his commander. « Permission to speak freely, sir. »  
« Go ahead. »  
« With all due respect sir, we've been scanning for these 'platforms' of yours and come up with jack-shit ! As far as I'm concerned there aren't any ! » the young officer flared. Lunar Base's commander merely sat in his chair, listening to the heated arguments of the sensor officer. « This is all just a waste of time. »  
« Possibly. » the commander said. « But how do you explain the fact that a ray of directed energy was fired from Grandini Forest and hit an area near Deling City ? »  
With that, he had the young officer stumped.  
« I don't know, sir. »  
Then, the comm officer turned. « Sir, incoming transmission. Audio only. »  
« Origin ? »  
« Somewhere from within Grandini Forest. I can't pinpoint it exactly but it is originating from a location a few miles away from the origin of the two energy rays. »  
« On speaker. » the commander ordered. A beep was heard, indicating the speaker was on. « This is Lunar Base. Who's this ? »  
« _Squall Leonhart from Balamb Garden. I hear you've been looking for hidden platforms in orbit. Am I correct ? _»  
« Yes, but we've had no luck so far. »  
« _Well, we might have something that'll change that. I'm sending some command sequences that will be of help_. »  
After several minutes, the comm officer reported : « Got them. »  
« Squall, stand-by. We're gonna try them out right now. »  
« _Acknowledged. Standing-by._ »  
The commander read the sequences on the screen. « Triaxillating frequency covariant bandwith signal infrared ultraviolet ... spectrum and isolation sequence 53 Gamma. »  
« Here goes. » the sensor officer said, having found his enthusiasm again. He used the triaxillating frequency sequence first and came up with scratch. « Nothing. »  
Next came the covariant bandwith signal with the same result a few minutes thereafter. They were beginning to lose hope once again. Then, isolation sequence 53 Gamma. Same effect : nothing.  
« Squall, we're getting nothing on the read-outs. »  
«_ That's impossible_. » they heard Duncan say on the background. Some scratching was heard as Skywalker took the comm unit from Squall. « _Are you sure, commander ?_ »  
« Positive ? May I ask who I'm talking to ? »  
« _Duncan Skwyalker._ »  
« Ah Mr Skywalker. We've witnessed your heroics in Grandini Forest several years ago. »  
« _Thanks, but that's beside the point now. Have you tried everything there is ?_ »  
« Yes. »  
It was silent over the open comm link.  
« _Have you tried using all the sequences at once ?_ »  
« I don't think so. We'll give it a shot. Stand-by. »  
Several other officers took part in this effort to detect Tevarion's mirror satellites.  
« Engaging triaxillating frequency. » someone reported.  
« Adding covariant bandwith signal. » the sensor offcer added to that.   
« Overlaying infrared and ultraviolet part of the spectrum. » another said from his console. The view of space and the visible part of the planet switched from normal view to a view in which space had a chemical green color and the planet bright purple.  
« Initiating isolation sequence 53 Gamma. » the sensor officer finally said. All eyes turned to the screen. On the green image with purple planet, several static filled patches with the distinct contours of satellites became visible. Cheers went up as the commander switched the comm system back on.  
« We have them on our sensors. »

Selphie cheered. « Yes. »  
« I'm notifying Garden. » Squall said. « Keep an eye on those satellites, commander. »  
« _Will do. Lunar Base out_. »  
The link was severed and Squall punched in the frequency that would patch him through to Cid's office.  
It took a while, but after several minutes Cid responded. « _Cid here_. »  
« Sorry to wake you sir, but Lunar Base found the satellites. »  
« _They did ? How long ago ?_ »  
« They just sniffed them out. » Squall said.  
« _Bloody marvelous. I'll notify SeeD squads 1 and 2 to stand-by on MAJIVE. Well done._ »  
« Thank Moira for that. » Duncan said. « She supplied the sequences. »  
« _I will. Cid out_. »

**_MAJIVE complex, Galbadian moutains_**  
The mood in the command center of the MAJIVE complex was relaxed. However, several SeeD cadets kept an eye on the displays of several consoles.  
« I really hope we can spring into action soon. » one of the cadets flapped out.  
« That'll come. Rest assured. » Sera said. « It all depends on Lunar Base to sniff out those 'platforms'. Then it'll be our turn. »  
« Status of the MAJIVE project ? » Jack inquired.  
« ICARUS fully operational. » the cadet seated at the ICARUS console reported.  
« DAEDALUS also fully operational. » the cadet at the DAEDALUS console added.  
« MAJIVE is fully synched and good to go. All systems on stand-by. » the cadet at the main console read off the screen. « Cannon is ready. No abormalities. »  
« Well, now we wait for updates. » Sera said with a small sigh.  
« Yeah, and it better come soon. » Jack amended. « I'm tired of waiting. »  
« Didn't anyone tell you that patience is a virtue ? »  
« I think I heard that line somewhere before. »  
« You know, Jack, sometimes you're » Whatever Sera wanted to say was cut off by the beeping of the comm unit. « MAJIVE team here. »  
« _Oh, is it MAJIVE team now ? I thought it was SeeD squad 1 and 2_. » Cid said, a bit amused.  
« Sorry sir. We just came up with it. We thought it would sound better. »  
« _Well, in a way it does. I like it. Keep it for now_. »  
« Sure. What's up, sir ? »  
«_ Lunar Base has detected the platforms. I'm sending you the sequences necessary to detect them_. »  
« Acknowledged. Standing by. »  
After a few minutes the cadet at the comm reported he had them.  
« We have hem, sir. »  
« _Good. I want MAJIVE on stand-by and pointing in the general direction of Grandini Forest_. »  
« Consider it done. »  
« _Carry on. Balamb Garden out_. » The comm unit beeped, indicating the connection had been severed.  
« You heard the man. » Sera raised her voice. « Heading for MAJIVE : bearing 6-5-4, mark 1-6-5. No specific target, just point it in the general direction of Grandini Forest. »  
The command center was filled with reports being shouted through one another.   
« DAEDALUS standing-by. »  
« ICARUS standing-by. »  
« MAJIVE synched. Aiming the cannon in the direction of Grandini forest. »  
« Implement the sequences Cid sent us and put the image on screen. » Jack ordered.  
The cadet at the main console implemented the changes while the dish-shaped cannon aimed itself at Grandini Forest. The screen switched to a view of the sky which had changed to chemical green. The clouds here and there were black. And beyond they could see patches of static.  
« There are at least a dozen in view. » Sera said, looking at the screen.  
« Yeah. » Jack agreed and got an idea. « Who has got a lot of computer knowledge ? »  
« I do, sir. » a cadet by the name of Josh said while standing up and snapping into attention.  
« Think you can hack into those satellites' systems without anyone noticing it ? » Jack asked.  
« I have to do a few test runs, sir. To see what kind of firewalls they have installed in those birds. »  
« Then get to it. »  
« Yessir. » Josh sat down at a computer console and got to work. After half an hour, he stood back up. « They've got some heavy firewalls installed but I think I can punch through with a Type-Delta attack barrier to crack its ice. Once in, I've got a little program that'll allow me to take over the entire grid. »  
« Every satellite ? » Sera asked.  
« Yes ma'am. Every single one of them. »

* * *

  
XVII  
Help Arrives

  
_**Woods of Neron Continent, near Tevarion's hideout**_  
Jeb and Alex returned a few hours before sunrise, each carrying two big war drums. Alex put his on the ground and sat down, leaning against one of the drums.  
« Argh, I'm beat. I think I need to rest for a few minutes. »  
Jeb put his down as well and sat on a rock to catch his breath.  
« All right. Now that they're back we can work out some strategy. » Talinn said.  
« What did you have in mind ? » Ringo asked Cathy.  
« Once we reach the part where the mountains echo, just start banging on those drums. The echo will make sure the sound will be coming from everywhere. » Cathy suggested.  
« Right. » Talinn nodded. « While they are making a ruckus a few of us will go in and try to locate our two targets. If it gets too messy, we pull back on the double. Questions ? »  
No one said a thing. It was all crystal clear.  
« Okay, move out ! »  
The group got up, gathered their stuff and got underway. The journey took them over ridges, past steep cliffs, over squeaky bridges and through the dense bush. Finally, after five hours walking did they reach their destination. A place where there was an echo and from where they could see parts of the gleaming remains of Lakoya City.  
« Okay boys ; once we are in, start drumming. » Talinn ordered with a smile. « Alex, Butch, you're with me. »  
The three sneaked through the bushes towards the dark opening in the rockface which gave access to Tevarion's underground base. When they looked to their left, they could truly see just how big the HYPERION cannon in reality was.  
« That thing's enormous. » Alex whispered.  
« Yeah. » Talinn agreed. « That's beside the point now. Keep to the matter at hand. »  
« Right. » Alex nodded.  
« You got it. » Butch added.  
Talinn motioned for them to stop when they were a handful of meters away from the opening. There were two soldiers standing guard. She readied her crossbow and took aim. From one moment to the next, she took out the soldier with an arrow clear through the blast shield. Before the other knew what was going on, two knives came his way and robbed him of his life.  
« Ouch, through the visor. » Alex said while making a face. The arrow had gone through the blast shield and hit the soldier in the eye.  
« Let's hide the bodies in the bushes. » Butch suggested.  
« Good idea. »  
The dead soldiers were moved to the nearest bush and hidden from view.  
« Now, let's get in there. » Talinn took out a small device and sent a single beep, the she went inside.

Commander Tevarion was walking circles, clearly frustrated. The plan he had put together was losing its integrity. It was falling apart bit by bit. Gasps were heard as a rumble went through the ground and the lights and consoles died. Tevarion looked around as the backup generator took over.  
« What the hell was that ? »  
« The main power system failed. » someone reported. « This entire base is running on emergency power now. »  
« Oh no, it's not. » he hissed. « Get a repair crew down there and get that power system back on-line ! HYPERION cannot afford to function on backup power. »  
« Yessir. » Within minutes, a repair crew was underway accompanied by a squad of Jennai Soldiers.  
Then, one of the officers couldn't make sense from what he was hearing. He put off his headset and stood up to face his commander. « Sir, I'm detecting strange noise. »  
« What kind of noise ? »  
« I'm not sure, sir. It sounds like drumming. »  
Tevarion was by the officer's console in two steps. « Put it on speakers. »  
The officer manipulated a few controls and the sound of the war drums Talinn's rescue team had brought along echoed through the command center.  
« Where is it coming from ? »  
« I have no idea, sir. It's as if they're everywhere. »  
Tevarion manipulated the controls on the console to see if he could detect the source of the sound. But he too couldn't find it. Annoyed, he straightened his back. « Try to find the source. »  
« Yessir. »  
« What news on the two escapees ? »  
« None, sir. » Burke, his second-in-command said. « They're on a rampage through the base. »  
« Find them ! I want them stopped, but alive ! » he raged. « I don't care how you do it ! »  
Within the next second, a squad of Jennai Soldiers was sent to find the two.

When the sun peeked just over the horizon, Squall and the others were on their way again. The chocobos took them faithfuly through the bush, evading obstacles as they ran on.  
« So, today we reach this village of yours, right ? » Irvine asked.  
« Yeah. » Duncan replied.  
« Then we'd better get a move on. » Squall said and spurred his chocobo, bringing his right behind Skywalker's chocobo. The leaves of the trees were a blur as the big yellow birds ran with their passengers through the forest.  
The dense foliage moved aside for a bit, gradually changing into a path which led to Dyenso Village. Then, the front gates came into view. The five chocobos charged through the open gates and slid to a stop on the central plaza. Duncan hopped off his chocobo and ran to the Chief's house. He ran in while the others were dismounting and running after him.  
« Well, Duncan. It's been a while. » the Chief said as he saw Skywalker charge through the door.  
« Sure is Chief. My wife and two kids have been »  
The Chief didn't let him finish. « kidnapped and taken to a place near here. »  
« Right. » Duncan couldn't believe it. « How do you know ? »  
« Your daughter is fine. Catherine managed to escape and ended up here. »  
« Thank goodness. » He let out a sigh of relief. The tracks were hers. « So, where is she ? »  
« Away with Talinn on a rescue mission. »  
« On a rescue mission ? » It caught Duncan by surprise. Then, a smile formed on his face. « That's my Cathy. »  
« Looks like she inherited your determination. »  
« She sure did. » He ran back outside. « Where did they head to ? »  
« Monida Canyon. They said something about using the echo. They left yesterday. »  
« Thanks Chief. » With the others in tow, he left the village while the Chief was wondering who the other six were.  
Driven by the fact that he was going to find his daughter, Duncan moved through the bush like a whirlwind. The others had trouble keeping up. But they didn't complain. They understood well enough what it felt like to be reunited with someone. Following Duncan's relentless march, they covered more ground than Talinn's group.  
« What's that ? » Irvine asked as he heard the drumming in the distance, seemingly coming from everywhere.  
« It's the echo. » Rinoa said.  
« We're almost there. » Duncan kept going.

« How about we take a break ? » Jeb suggested. « We've been drumming for the past half hour. »  
« Okay. » Cathy agreed.  
« Take five, guys. » Ringo said to the two drummers.  
« I hope they find them fast. » Jeb said, eyeing the remains of Lakoya City.  
« Me too. » Cathy added. « I wish my father was here now. He'd know what to do. »  
« You got that right. » came a voice from behind.  
Everyone whirled around.  
« Skywalker. » Jeb said for all of them.  
« Daddy ! » Cathy ran to her father who lifted her up in a tender embrace. The tears she had held up inside now found a way out.  
« It's okay. I'm here now. » Duncan soothed her. Squall and the others stood a bit further behind him. Rinoa's hand took Squall's.  
« I thought you'd never come. » Cathy said when he put her on the ground again.  
« Well, I'm here now and that's the most important thing. »  
« Yeah. » Cathy agreed.  
« Hey Jeb, been working on your musical skills ? » he asked with a grin.  
« Me ? No. » Jeb said. « Who are they ? » he asked when he caught sight of Squall and his team.  
« They're from Balamb Garden. » Duncan simply said.  
« The mercenary unit ? » Ringo asked.  
« We call ourselves SeeD. » Squall clarified and introduced himself and every other member of his team. « And indeed we are soldiers for hire. »  
« Right. » Jeb nodded.  
« So what do we have here ? » Skywalker looked down at the remains of Lakoya City.  
« Talinn, Butch and Alex have gone inside to find them. » Cathy informed her father. « We don't know what's going on in there. »  
« I'm going down there. » Duncan said with narrowed eyes.  
« What ? » Cathy couldn't believe what she was hearing. « What if they capture you too. »  
He kneeled before her to talk to his daughter at eye level. « No they won't. They'd have to do a lot more than send a few Jennai Soldier squads. Besides, I've got something to settle with this Tevarion. » He gave her a light kiss on the forehead. « I'll be fine. »  
« Be careful. » she called after him.  
« I will. »  
« Okay, guys. Let's give 'em some more goosebumps. » Ringo ordered. The two men started to drum once again, making this part of Monida Canyon echo with their sound.

Skywalker sneaked to the entrance to Tevarion's underground base. No guards outside. While he thought of that as being strange, he saw the two soldier's legs between the bush. He smiled as he moved on. The two had been taken out by Talinn, Butch and Alex. No doubt about that. The precision shot said it all. That was definitely Talinn's signature.  
He went inside, wary of everything.  
The sound of footsteps sounded in the corridor up ahead. He pressed himself against the wall in a dark spot and held his breath. It turned out to be four scientists talking about the recent developments.  
« The main power supply isn't back online yet. » the first said.  
« I think it's got something to do with those two who have escaped. » the third brought up.  
« Possibly. » the second agreed.  
« My guess is they're sabotaging this place. » the fourth guessed. Whatever else they were talking about was lost as they rounded the corner and disappeared from view.  
_Right on, Moira_ he said in the back of his mind as he peeked around the corner, looking for possibly more dangers.  
A Jennai Soldier came ouf of a nearby room and headed his way. Skywalker vanished again inthe shadowy place and waited for the soldier to pass by. When he did, Duncan lunged out, grabbed the soldier and snapped his neck. The soldier slumped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Skywalker hid the body in a dark room and moved on.

* * *

  
XVIII  
He's Here

  
_**Tevarion's hideout**_  
Moira peered around the corner and saw several Jennai Soldiers in the corridor. Lucas stood against the wall a few paces behind her. Despite her cunningness, they had the two surrounded.  
« Dammit. » Moira swore and checked the clip of her submachine gun. One quarter was still available, which meant she had some twenty bullets left. She took one of the other machine guns and gave it to her son. « Here. You'll need it. There's too many of them. »  
Lucas took the weapon and looked around. The sound of running feet seemed to come from everywhere. « Mom, I don't like this. »  
« Tough it out, kiddo. Let's just focus on staying alive. »  
« Right. » Lucas looked around once more and saw something worth mentioning. « What if I sneak to that corridor and when the soldiers come your way, we can catch them in a cross fire. » He pointed at the corridor he had in mind.  
« Excellent idea. » she smiled. « Stay close to the shadows. »  
« Right. » Lucas sneaked to his corridor using the shadows as cover. Moira had explained how submachine guns worked. Now was the time to actually use it. When he reached his spot, Lucas waved inconspicuously. His mother gave a thumbs-up signal and threw a can into the corridor as a distraction.  
Attracted by the noise, the soldiers advanced, not knowing what was waiting for them. When they reached the T-shaped intersection of corridors, Moira sprang out of hiding and fired her submachine gun. Lucas did the same from his spot. The weapon rattled in his hand as he fired almost half his clip. The squad had been dealt with.  
The two met up.  
« Well done. » Moira complimented. « If you have more of those ideas, don't hesitate. »  
« Let's keep moving. » Lucas suggested.  
« Yeah. » Moira took point again.

In the command center, silence reigned.  
« It stopped. » someone noted.  
« For half an hour at least. » another corrected.  
« As if they can scare me with some noise. » Tevarion snorted. « Keep searching for those two. »  
« Yessir. » The officers went back to their consoles. They were barely working or the sound of the drums echoed through Monida Canyon again.  
« It's driving me crazy. » one of the younger officers banged on his console.  
« Get a hold of yourself. » Tevarion barked. « They're just doing it to scare us. And for what you are concerned, they're doing a great job. »  
« Sorry sir. »  
Tevarion ignored him and eye the main display. « Prepare HYPERION for another shot. »

Skywalker passed the main power section. Normally, this part would be filled with noise from the machinery that produced the necessary power for this facility to function. But now, all was silent.  
Intrigued, he silently opened the door and saw a handful of engineers working on the main power generator. When eyeing the generator, he saw the problem. Sabotage. Meticulously done with a monkey wrench. He could see it through the wires and cartwheels. Definitely Moira's work. Smiling, he closed the door and moved on.  
If Moira had sabotaged the main power generator, she was going for the auxiliary generator. It was the logical thing to do. If you wanted to slow down someone's organisation, you'd go for the power generators.  
He took the corridor which led to the auxiliary power generator.

In Monida Canyon, Cathy couldn't stand it anymore. « I'm going in there. » She got up and ran down to the entrance.  
« Catherine, wait ! » Rinoa tried to stop her but she was already on her way.  
« Damn. » Squall ran after her, followed by the others. Ringo informed Zell they were heading back to the village.  
While the members from the Dyenso rescue team packed their stuff, Cathy ran through the entrance into the underground base. Archie went to the village. Just as she charged around the corner, a Jennai Soldier just reached that corner. Acting on instinct, she grabbed her dagger, jumped up and sliced him just below his helmet. The soldier dropped like a dead weight.  
The others caught up with her.  
« What the hell do you think you're doing ? » Selphie asked.  
« I'm going to help my father. » she said determined.  
« Well, now that we're here we might as well move on. » Squall said and took point.  
They wandered through the corridors until they met up with Duncan.  
« I thought I told you to stay put in Monida Canyon. »  
« I know. But I wanna help you. »  
« She took out one of those soldiers. » Zell added.  
Skywalker's eyebrows went up. « Really ? »  
« Yep. And some others a few days ago with a Lifestream burst. » she said proudly.  
« Let's keep moving. » This time Duncan took point and led them through corridor after corridor. Then, as if by magic, they found themselves in the open bay where the HYPERION cannon stood.  
Duncan asked Squall for his comm unit and punched in the frequency which would connect him to Cid's office. « Headmaster, it's time for MAJIVE to come into action. »

In the command center, everything was being prepared for HYPERION's next shot. All systems were functioning as they should. The lights shone brighter as the main power generator came back online and the auxiliary generator was shut down.  
« Main power back online. » came a report.  
« HYPERION online and standing by. » the offcer at the HYPERION console reported. « All systems green. »  
« Good. » Tevarion nodded. « Synch HYPERION with satellites 2, 5, 32, 39 and 59. Target : Oregonia. Time to obliterate our foe. »  
« HYPERION synching with designated satellites power flow stable systems nominal satellites responding HYPERION cannon redirecting itself cannon ready. »  
« Fire on my command. » Tevarion said, eyeing the main screen on which the Skywalker home was displayed.  
« Sir ! » the targeting officer turned in his chair. « Someone's tapping into the satellites. »  
« WHAT !? » the commander boomed. « Block him. Kick him out whoever it is. »  
« I can't. They're overriding my commands. »  
« Signal source ? »  
« Can't triangulate. They're taking over the entire satellite control system. »  
Tevarion swore his lungs out.  
« Sir. » the chief engineer turned to face his rage-filled commander. « I'm reading a massive buildup of energy underneath the HYPERION bay. »  
« Just what the hell is going on !? » he asked no one in particular.

**_MAJIVE complex, Galbadian mountains_**  
Every member of the MAJIVE team was anxious to see this piece of machinery in action. So far, all systems were functioning normally. Josh was standing by to hack into the satellites' systems. The program had already been loaded and was ready to be activated.  
Jack's comm unit beeped. « MAJIVE team, go ahead. »  
« _It's time for MAJIVE, guys. I'm patching someone through who'll provide you with the necessary coordinates._ »  
« Acknowledged sir. Who is it, if I might ask. »  
« _You'll know when I make the link. Stand by_. » The comm unit beeped twice when the link was made.  
« _Skywalker here, MAJIVE team. Stand-by for targeting coordinates_. »  
« THE Skywalker ? » Sera asked. « Duncan Skywalker ? Everyone in Garden is talking about your involvement in the parallell universe incident. »  
« _Let's talk about that later_. »  
« Of course, sir. » Jack said. « We've got something interesting. One of our people, Josh, can hack into the control system on board the satellites and take over the entire grid. »  
« _Excellent. Go for it._ »  
Sera nodded and Josh started up his program.  
« _Here are your coordinates : 5-6-2, mark 6-5-4_. »  
« Coordinates received. » Jack reported.  
« _Don't miss_. »  
« We won't. »  
« _Good. Skywalker out_. » The connection was severed.  
« Okay, Josh. » Sera stood beside his chair. « Talk to me. »  
« I've hacked into the satellite control system and I'm trying to take over. Those guys on the other end know what they're doing. » He typed in another series of commands. « C'mon, sweetie. » he murmured. « Don't fail me now. » It looked like he was fighting a small war over the privilege to control the satellites in geostationary orbit. While he was trying to take over the entire satellite grid, Tevarion's people were trying to prevent that. But they were steadily losing it. Josh had proven to be a true genius. All of a sudden, he flashed a triumphant smile, called up the password encryption program and typed in the new password : SCYLLA 24. « Gotcha ! »

**_Tevarion's hideout_**  
Tevarion himself had sat down at a console and was eyeing the screen. On it, the percentage of men he had left was shown. It wasn't promising.  
While he was doing that, reports echoed through the command center stating that the satellites were slipping out of their control. He didn't pay much attention to it and wondered what to do next.  
Obviously, the two prisoners who had escaped wouldn't be taken prisoner again. He sighed and took his comm device. « Burke, come in. » Only static could be heard on the other side. « Burke ? Are you there ? Burke ? »  
Then the comm device crackled. When Tevarion wanted to scold him, another voice came through. « _Attention, attention jackass. Burke just checked out_. »  
« Who is this ? » he barked.  
« _Guess_. » came the reply, then static again.  
« Guess » he muttered as he pondered about where he'd heard that voice before. An ice cold hand closed around his heart as he figured it out.  
« He's here ! »  
« Sir ? » one of the officers eyed him with a worried look.  
« He's here. » he said again. « Skywalker's here. In the base. »  
Everyone in the command center had the same look of fear in their eyes. All had seen the reports and pictures of his actions. Lakoya City, once so majestic had been reduced to an overgrown scrap yard. Jennai had been slain by his, Skywalker's, hand. And now, his second-in-command had found the same end, although in different circumstances. Jennai had been killed with a knife. But Burke had found his end at the edge of Skywalker's Daïkatana.  
« What do we do now ? » someone asked.  
« Fire HYPERION. »  
« Are you sure, sir ? » the cannon operator asked. « The satellites are »  
« I know they're out of our control ! » he raged. « Fire HYPERION or I'll do it myself. »  
« Yessir. » the cannon operator got to work.  
Meanwhile, Tevarion had other plans. He activated the system on the wall. A clear alarm sounded through the entire base.  
« _Warning. Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Evacuate at once. Thirty minutes till detonation. Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Evacuate at once_. »

* * *

  
XIX  
MAJIVE's Two Shots And Tevarion's Escape

  
**_ MAJIVE complex, Galbadian mountains_**  
« They've targeted a seaside town named Oregonia. » Josh read off his screen. « Isn't that the place where Mr Skywalker lives ? »  
« Yeah. And from what I've heard it's pretty tranquil there. » Sera said.  
« Hey, do you guys remember Moira Luna ? » Jack asked.  
« Of course. » Josh nodded. « She was the one who always took care of the optical links in Garden. »  
« True. » Jack said. « But she also married Skywalker and settled down in Oregonia. »  
« We know. » Sera cut in, then turned to Josh. « What can you tell me about what they're using ? »  
« From what I've managed to scrape together, our enemy is utilising a project named HYPERION. It's roughly the same as MAJIVE, but more advanced. » The console beeped. « Satellites 2 and 5 are picking up an energy buildup. I think it's HYPERION. They're going to fire. »  
« Realign satellite 69 and take out the delivery satellite. » Sera ordered. « That beam mustn't reach its destination. »  
« Yes ma'am. » Josh went to work.   
« Heading for MAJIVE : 5-6-2 mark 6-5-4. » Sera announced. Outside, the dish-shaped cannon aligned itself with satellite 69 as Josh typed in the coordinates.  
« Ready. »  
« Fire. »  
The MAJIVE cannon spewed out a bright purple ray just as HYPERION fired. The purple ray had a split-second head start and destroyed satellite 59 just before the red ray could be deflected by it. The result was that the red energy beam simply disappeared in the interstellar void.  
« Delivery satellite destroyed. HYPERION beam vanished in space. Nothing hit. » the cadet at the main console reported.  
« We did it. » someone cheered.  
« We sure did. » Jack agreed. « And now we're gonna deliver a crippling blow to HYPERION. »  
« What are you up to ? » Sera wondered.  
Jack went over to Josh's console. « How accurate can you aim with this thing ? »  
« To the meter, sir. » Josh replied. « Why ? »  
« I want you to target the HYPERION cannon itself. The regulation systems to be more exact. »  
« I'll see if I can. » Josh manipulated some controls and transferred the image to the main screen. On it, they could see a targeting crosshair right over the barrel of the HYPERION cannon.  
« A bit more to the left. Jack said.  
The crosshair slid left by a few millimeters and came over the rear part of the cannon.  
« That's it. » Jack grinned, then nodded to Sera. « You may do the honors. »  
She didn't know whether to think he was being a genius or just a pain in the neck. « Target lock ? »  
« Yes ma'am. » Josh reported.  
« Then by all means, cadet. Proceed. » she nodded at the cadet at the main console. On the screen, everyone could see the purple ray impact on the rear end of the HYPERION cannon, disrupting the power flow and destroying essential systems.  
« Direct hit. » the cadet announced.  
« Sir ! » one of the engineers whirled to face Jack. « We've got a short circuit in the main prefire chamber of MAJIVE. It's triggered a buildup and there's nothing we can do about it. »  
« What now ? » Sera wondered.  
« HYPERION can't fire ? »  
« According to my scans, no. » Josh announced.  
« Good. Trigger the self-destruct charges on the satellites and then the auto-destruct sequece on MAJIVE. We're clearing out, people ! »   
« Yessir ! » echoed through the command center.  
He turned to Sera. « We'd better let Cid know. » The latter took her comm unit and updated headmaster Cid.  
Josh let Tevarion's satellites self-destruct and activated the auto-destruct sequence of the MAJIVE complex.  
« _Warning, auto-destruct sequence acivated. Attention, energy buildup in MAJIVE prefire chamber. Auto-destruct in fifteen minutes. Evacuate at once. Auto-destruct sequence acivated. Evacuate at one_. » echoed through the MAJIVE complex as the MAJIVE team cleared out.

_**Tevarion's hideout**_  
« HYPERION is firing. »  
On the screen, they could see the telltale red ray shoot up into the sky to be relayed to its destination by the orbiting mirror satellites.  
« Sir, I'm detecting an release of concentrated energy in Galbadia. » the sensor officer announced. « It just destroyed satellite 59. »  
« What ? » Tevarion called up the sensor data and saw that satellite 59 was indeed destroyed. « Skywalker if you're behind this, I swear to all that's precious that you'll be sorry. » he murmured.  
« Incoming energy ray ! » someone yelled. Everyone held on to something as the base shuddered.  
« Damage report ! » Tevarion barked.  
« Sir, that one shot took out the regulation systems. They're completely shot to hell. » the Damage Control officer reported. « The energy buildup underneath the cannon is still increasing. » He bent closer to his screen. « And the satellites just self-destructed. »  
« _Warning, auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Fifteen minutes till detonation. Evacuate at once._ »  
« We get the hell out of here. » Tevarion said. « All personnel to the escape vehicles. Senior staff with me to the _Regalia_. »  
The base shuddered again as the buildup of Lifestream energy reached its peak and destroyed the entire HYPERION cannon.  
With his senior staff close behind, Tevarion went to the lowest part of his underground base to a small harbor where a submarine was waiting.   
History was repeating itself. Like Jennai before him, he had to abandon his facility.

Moira and Lucas were pinned in a section of a corridor again. They were defending themselves for what they were worth. Little did they know that help was closeby. Lucas fired a short burst which killed three soldiers.  
« We're sitting ducks. » he said.  
« I know. » Moira agreed. « We have to get out of here, pronto. » She threw a fragmentation grenade in the other corridor. It lit up like dawn as the frag grenade exploded, sending pieces of shrapnel in every direction and killing a dozen soldiers in the process.  
« We don't stand a chance. » Lucas shook his head. « And we're almost out of ammo. »  
She checked their gear and noticed he was right. « Damn. If help doesn't get here fast, we're toast. »  
« _Warning. Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Evacuate at once. Thirty minutes till detonation. Auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Evacuate at once_. » The base's imminent destruction warning echoed through the corridors. The two escapees heard a ruckus coming from the corridor behind them and pressed themselves close to the wall behind a barrel, ready for anything. When she saw the young woman peek around the corner and say « Clear. » to someone they couldn't see yet, Moira noticed they weren't with Tevarion's men.  
« Who the devil are you ? » she asked while getting up and keeping her submachine gun aimed at her. « I'm warning you : no funny stuff. This baby has a sensitive trigger. »  
« Mrs Skwyalker I presume ? I'm Talinn. We're from Dyenso Village. We've come to get you out. »  
« Thank heavens. » she sighed and leaned against the wall.  
« Let's move. » Ringo cut in. « This place is gonna blow. »  
When they wanted to get underway, Squall's team rounded the corner. Cathy ran ahead to her mother.  
« Cathy ! » She took her in her arms. « Thank goodness you're safe. »  
« Squall ? » Lucas asked. « What are you guys doing here ? »  
« We're here to get you guys out. » Zell said.  
« You too ? » Moira asked. « They came to get us out as well. » She pointed at Talinn's team.  
« Where did they come from ? » Squall wondered. His hand went for his gunblade. The rest went for their weapons as well.  
« Relax, they're friends. » came a voice. Duncan stepped around the corner, holding his bloodied Daïkatana. « They're from Dyenso Village. »  
Moira put Cathy down and ran to her husband and hugged him for all he was worth. Everyone let their weapons alone. Duncan rubbed Lucas over his head. « How've you been doing, kid ? »  
« I managed to knock out a few of those creeps. » he said proudly.  
« Let's move, people. » Ringo said again.  
« Okay, you heard the man. » Talinn said to her team. « Let's mosey ! »  
Skywalker flicked the blood off his sword and put it away.  
While they were running through the corridors, they saw Tevarion with his senior staff running to the lower parts of the base.  
« There's that creep. » Moira pointed ahead.   
Tevarion urged his men forward. « Move, dammit, move. He's right behind us. With backup. »  
When they heard that Skywalker was on their heels, the senior staff picked up the pace. It was like they were an animal which got a good dose of primordial fear. That caused people to do things which they didn't think possible. As in this case, they ran faster than they ever thought possible. Fear sometimes does strange things to people.  
A set of bulletproof double doors slammed shut when Tevarion and his senior staff ran through.  
« Damn ! » Moira swore. « We lost them. »  
« What's behind this ? » Zell asked.  
« I don't know. » Duncan said. « I haven't been to this part of the base. »  
«_ Warning, auto-destruct sequence has been initiated. Fifteen minutes till detonation. Evacuate at once_. »  
« It's a docking space for a submarine. » Rinoa said. She had activated a computer terminal a bit further down the corridor.   
Cathy laid her ear against the metal of the door and heard the faint bubbling of water as if it was boiling. But in reality, it was the sound of ballast tanks filling. « I hear something. »  
« What do you hear, sweetie ? » Moira asked.  
« Bubbling water. »  
« They're diving. » Duncan said. « Let's get out of here. »  
Everyone picked up the pace and made for the top levels of the base before it would blow apart and they with it.  
« We need a sub if we want to catch the bastard. » Selphie said.  
« As a matter of fact, there's an old naval base near the village. There's a sub on which we used to play when some of us were young. If my recollections are accurate, it should still be in decent condition. » Talinn brought up.  
« Then that's where we're going. » Duncan said. Down below, they could feel the effects of the self-destruct devices already. The auxiliary power generator had just blown itself to pieces. The main power generator was next, so if they didn't get out of there A.S.A.P, it was game over.  
Just as they ran out and the _Regalia_ submerged and left the confines of the docking space, Tevarion's hideout self-destructed.  
« Talinn, you and your team head back to the village. » Duncan said as they reached a fork in the road. One led to the old naval base and the other to Dyenso Village. « This is our fight. »  
« Okay. Take care. Farewell. »  
« Farewell and take care. » Skywalker replied.  
« We're coming too. » Squall said. Duncan nodded. Right now, he could use all the help he could get.  
« We're coming as well. » Moira said. When Duncan wanted to protest, she held up her hand. « We want to catch that rat bastard too. »  
« Yeah. » Lucas said.  
« Catch him and sink him. » Cathy added.  
Their father found himself pressed to agree.

  



	5. part5

XX  
A Sly Weasel 

  
**_Near Dyenso Village, Neron Continent_**  
Squall and his friends and the Skywalker family raced through the foliage to the old naval base. When they reached a clearing they ran into the remaining batch of Tevarion's men. And some eight Jennai Soldier batallions which counted about a dozen soldiers per batallion. And they had blaster rifles.  
« There they are ! » the one who had assumed command pointed. « Kill 'em ! »  
Just as they trained their rifles on the group of friends, something blurry came between them. It looked like a huge blurry glass plate. Duncan immediately knew what it was. The rays of the blaster rifles were deflected or broken up into harmless colors.  
Squall bent closer to the phenomenon. « What the hell ? This ain't glass. It's how should I put it ? something different. »  
« You mean crystalline ? » Duncan asked with a smile.  
« Yeah. »  
« Well, my friends, meet the Celestial Dragon. »  
While the soldiers were still firing their lethal energy rays, the dragon's head appeared over the treetops. It was protecting them with one of its crystalline wings. The structure of the wing worked pretty much like a prism. The rays which came in from a certain angle were broken up into all colors of the rainbow. Others were deflected away or back at its source. The soldiers were falling like flies.  
« Nice of you to drop by. » Duncan said. Moira and the kids and Squall and the others stood there gaping at the jewel-like creature.  
_I figured this was an excellent opportunity to repay you_. the dragon answered. _Move along, I'll deal with them_.  
« Right. » Duncan took point again and ran ahead to the naval base while the Celestial Dragon wiped out the remaining part of Tevarion's force.  
When they reached the old naval base, they saw one completely decayed facility. Partly overgrown, with no functioning systems, this place had a dead look to it. But they didn't come here for sightseeing. They had a score to settle and an antagonist to catch. The team ran into the base to the docks and found the sub. It was as Talinn had described. The sub there didn't look quite new and not quite old. Everyone climbed aboard and found that most systems were still intact.  
« Zell, can you take care of the engines ? » Duncan asked, immediately assuming the role of Captain and after explaining submarine nomenclature and designations.  
« Take care of the engines, he asks me. » Zell laughed. « Back in Garden I'm known as The Engineer. »  
« Yeah right. » Squall rolled his eyes. « We've seen that in the Deep Sea Research Center. »  
« Well, you got yourself an engineer. » Zell said to Duncan with a dirty look at Squall.  
« I'll give Zell a hand. » Moira said and followed Zell.  
« Okay, who's taking the steering ? » Skywalker looked around as Zell and Moira moved off.  
« Me ! Me ! Me ! » Selphie jumped up and down.  
« You know how to steer a sub ? » Duncan asked.  
« Hey, if I can fly the Ragnarok, I can do this too. »  
« Who's got good ears ? »  
« That would be me. » Quistis said. « Sonar ? »  
Skywalker nodded and Quistis moved to her station without much questions asked.  
« Irvine, you're in charge of the torpedoes. »  
« I knew that. » he replied with a smile and went to the torpedo bay.  
« Squall, you're my second-in-command. »  
« Right. » Squall nodded.  
« As for the kids and Rinoa well you guys sit tight until we need an extra hand. »  
The others nodded and found a cozy spot.  
« Right. Activate all systems. » At Skywalker's request, the sub came to life. « Squall, ahead full. Take us out. »  
« You got it. » he relayed the order to the engine room where Zell let the engines churn up all the power they could provide. The sub moved out of the dock and into open sea.

_**On board the **_**Regalia**  
Tevarion's sub moved out of the underwater cavity which gave access to the docking space on the lowest levels of his base. Now, it was reduced to shrapnel as the self-destruct mechanism did its work.  
« Sonar ? »  
« Nothing on sonar, sir. » the sonar man reported.  
« Steady as she goes. »  
« Aye sir. » the navigator acknowledged.  
« They'll be following us sometime soon. » Tevarion reasoned. « All ahead full. »  
« All ahead full, aye. » his new second-in-command repeated and relayed the order to the engine room. The _Regalia_ jumped forward as she picked up speed.  
« What's our current location ? »  
« We're just passing the Island Closest To Heaven, sir. » the navigator reported.  
« Good. Once we're clear, find a spot where we can hide. We can only move when we get those hounds off our tail. »  
« Yessir. »  
The _Regalia_ continued on its steady journey past the Island Closest To Heaven.  
« Sir, sonar is picking up sound. » the sonar officer reported, breaking the silence.  
« Distance ? » Tevarion was by his side in an instant.  
« Not far. I guess a good nautical mile or two. »  
« Where are we now ? »  
« We've just passed the island. According to the map there's a trench where we can hide in. Bearing 4-5-3. »  
« You heard him. » Tevarion said to the steering officer. « Take us down to one hundred and fifty meters and hold that depth. »  
« Aye sir. »  
The _Regalia_ changed heading and went deeper in the blue abyss of the ocean.

**_The _Concordia**  
Skywalker walked around the bridge of their sub. His eye caught a plaque on the bulkhead which was mostly rusted over. But only one word could still be read : CONCORDIA.  
« Well, it looks like our sub is designated _Concordia_. »  
« Catchy name. » Selphie said from her spot. « For a sub. »  
« Yeah. » Squall agreed. « I think that kind of name would be more suitable for a plane. »  
« _Engine room to bridge_. »  
« Go ahead. » Duncan said after tapping the intercom button.  
« _It seems this sub is outfitted with a booster system_. » Zell reported. « _From what Moira and I could make of it, this system allows the sub to boost its speed by a considerable degree. But it has to charge up first_. »  
« Define 'considerable'. »  
« _Moira here. By 'considerable' Zell means almost twice its top speed. _»  
Duncan whistled in amazement.  
« _Indeed_. » Moira agreed.  
« Thanks for the update. If there's anything alse, contact me. »  
« _Copy that. Engine room out_. »  
« Well, that explains the name. » Lucas cut in.  
Rina sat a bit further on a metal bench, playing a game of patty-cake with Cathy.  
The _Concordia_ had sought up a depth of around seventy meters and was on the prowl for Tevarion's sub, the _Regalia_.  
Duncan sat down in the captain's chair as the sub ploughed through the cerulean blue of the deep ocean. He then got up and moved to the intercom system. « Irvine ? »  
« _Irvine here. _» Kinneas replied and added : « _Master of all torpedoes in this bay_. »  
« Spare me, torpedo-master. » Skywalker said with a grin. « How much fish do we have ? »  
« _Enough to fight a war. We've got around sixty fish and some twenty decoys_. »  
« Allright, thanks. »  
« _No problemo_. » Irvine signed off. Selphie sat at the helm, giggling at Irvine's replies. When he signed off, she got back to steering the sub.  
« Sonar's picking up a contact. » Quistis reported.  
« Distance ? » Squall asked.  
« About a mile or two. »  
« That's got to be him. »  
« Yeah, and from what I can hear he's trying to get as far away from here as possible. Sonar is picking up heavy cavitation. »  
'Cavitation' was a naval word for a sub at high speed. The sub in question, that being the _Regalia_, had its screw turning so fast it made a small pockets of vacuum in the water. And from that noise, other subs could make a good estimate on the target sub's speed and location.  
Quistis pressed the headphones to her ears as if trying to hear better. « It stopped. They've stopped. »  
« All stop. » Skywalker ordered.  
« All stop, aye. » Squall repeated and relayed the order to the engine room. The _Concordia_ slowed down and stopped, hovering at a depth of seventy meters.  
« Where the hell is he ? » Duncan asked through clenched teeth. « This is no simple jackass we're dealing with. This guy's a sly weasel. »  
Squall had rolled open the map of the ocean floor. « My guess is they're hiding in one of these trenches. » He pointed at several trenches near the Island Closest To Heaven. « If I were him, I'd hide there. »  
« Set a course for the Island Closest To Heaven. » Duncan ordered. Selphie acknowledged. « Half speed. » The _Concordia_ began to move again as Zell received the order.  
Several minutes passed. At her post, Quistis yanked the headphones off her head as a loud ping noise was heard. « Shit ! What was that ? »  
« He's pinging us. » Duncan said, looking around as if to see through the hull. « This guy's trying to pinpoint our location. »  
Pinging was another example of submarine talk. This involved sending out a sonar signal at full burst for a split-second. This allowed the enemy sub to find out where its opponent was. The other side of the medal was that, if the enemy sub pinged, they gave away their location as well.  
Quistis put her headphones back on.  
« You okay ? » Squall asked.  
« Aside from a low ringing in my ears, I'm fine. »  
« She can't go on like this. » Duncan said. « With that ringing, you'll hear only half of what's out there. »  
« Rinoa, you take over. » Squall ordered.  
« Okay, what do I do ? » Rinoa asked while taking Quistis' place.  
« Put these on and listen for anything unusual. » Duncan said.  
She put them on and listened as the rest went to their stations. After a minute, she bolted upright. « I hear screws. »  
« The sub ? » Squall asked.  
« No, it sounds faster. Two of them. »  
« Fish in the water ! » Duncan yelled and hit the alert button. « All sections, hold on to something solid. Incoming torpedoes ! »

* * *

  
XXI  
The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

  
**_The _Regalia**  
Tevarion's sub closed in on the trenches near the Island Closest To Heaven. He had ordered to get here as soon as possible and with the highest speed.  
« We're closing in on the trenches, sir. » the navigator announced.  
« Open forward viewport. »  
« Opening viewport, aye. » an officer manipulated some controls and the forward part of the bridge opened up, showing the blue ocean beyond.  
Tevarion pointed ahead. « Take that trench. Once we're in, shut down the engines and don't make any noise. »  
« Yessir. » the navigator steered the _Regalia_ towards the trench. The view of the ocean darkened as the sub lowered itself into the trench. « Shutting down engines. »  
« All hands, we go silent. Repeat, we go silent. » Tevarion ordered through the intercom. The sub darkened as systems were put on stand-by and everyone kept quiet. Orders were given whispering.  
« Sir. » the sonar officer whispered. « Sonar is picking up screws. Double, bronze, going at half speed. »  
« Send out one ping to determine his location. »  
« Yessir, but then we're giving away our location. »  
« Just do it. We'll deal with that when that problem arises. »  
« Aye sir. » the sonar officer sent the ping. « Got him. Bearing 6-3-2, depth : seventy meters. »  
« Come about to that heading. Flood torpedo tubes One and Two. »  
« Coming about. » the navigator reported. The Regalia slowly turned.  
« Tubes One and Two flooded. Torpedoes ready. » the first officer reported.  
Tevairion nodded. « Let's blow them out of the water. Fire One and Two. »  
The _Regalia_ launched two torpedoes, heading straight for the _Concordia_.

**_The _Concordia**  
Skywalker didn't waste any time. « Full reverse, dive angle 45 degrees ! » The _Concordia_ sprang backward and went deeper at full reverse. « This is gonna be tense. » He pushed the intercom button. « Moira, charge the booster system. »  
« Copy that. »  
Everyone listened at the screws of the two incoming torpedoes. They've gotten close enough to hear them without sonar.  
« One closing in from the port side. » Rinoa announced.  
« Selphie, level out and turn us towards that torpedo. » Duncan ordered.  
« What ? » Selphie couldn't believe it. « We're gonna be blown out of the water. »  
« No, we won't. Not unless we don't make ourselves as small as possible. Turn us towards the torpedo. We don't have much time. »  
« Leveling and coming about. » Selphie let the _Concordia_ turn to face the incoming torpedo.  
« Okay, they're close behind one another so we have to move fast. » Duncan said. « Where's the second torpedo ? »  
« Still a good ways off. » Rinoa reported. « But closing in. »  
« Let's hope this works. » Selphie prayed silently.  
« Here it comes. » Rinoa announced. The torpedo could now be clearly heard, closing in fast and shoot past them.  
« It worked ! » Selphie cheered.  
« Where's the second ? » Duncan asked.  
« Closing in, 26 degrees starboard. »  
« Selphie ! »  
« Gotcha. » She let the sub turn to face the second torpedo. But this one was closer than Rinoa had thought. Right before the turn maneuver was completed, it was on them. The torpedo banged on the hull and screeched along it. Everyone pulled in his or her head, waiting for the explosion that would rip the _Concordia_ apart. But fortunately, it didn't detonate. It kept on screeching along the _Concordia_'s hull and passed them.  
Duncan went to his kids who had gotten a good scare when the torpedo screeched along the hull. « It's gone now. »  
« I'm scared. » Cathy said with frightened eyes. Lucas didn't show any signs of fear, but underneath, Duncan knew, the boy was shaling like a reed.  
« I know. I was scared there for a minute there too. » he reassured his kids. « More of these situations may arise, so sit tight. I won't let us sink. »  
« I know you won't. » Lucas said with a firm voice. Duncan ruffled the boy through his hair and went back.  
« That rat bastard almost got us. Any sign of him ? »  
« None. » Rinoa said, still listening for the _Regalia_'s screw noise.  
« Damn. Ahead slow. Keep a lookout for him. »  
The _Concordia_ moved forward at slow speed, searching for the _Regalia_.  
« Flood tubes One and Two and switch to battery powered engines. »

**_The _Regalia**  
On the silent bridge, everyone listened for the explosion.  
« Torpedoes are on course. » Sonar reported, still whispering.  
« I hear a lot of cavitation. » the navigator announced. « They're maneuvering. »  
« They can't run. » Tevarion half laughed. « Those torpedoes are too close. »  
It remained silent for several seconds. The faint sound of the torpedoes' screws could be heard on the silent bridge.  
Until the sonar officer broke that silence. « First torpedo missed. »  
« WHAT ? » Tevarion bolted out of the command chair.  
« Sir, we're currently running silent. We can't afford to be detected. » his second-in-command whispered.  
« To hell with it ! » Tevarion was seething with rage. This was the umpteenth time his plans were foiled.  
« Screeching noise. » Sonar reported. « My guess is the torpedo is sliding over his hull. » He yanked the headphones off his head. « And that noise is too much to bear. »  
« I'll say. » the navigator agreed as the sonar officer put his headphones back on.  
« Stand-by for new heading. » Tevarion ordered and went to the chart of the ocean floor.  
« He's moving. » Sonar reported. « Slow speed. Damn, I lost contact. »  
« He must've switched to battery powered engines. » Tevarion's second-in-command suggested.  
« Of course he did. » Tevarion spat.  
« Flooding ! » Sonar cut in. « He's flooding his torpedo tubes ! »  
« Evasive maeuvers ! Get us out of here ! »  
The _Regalia_ turned and made its getaway.

**_The _Concordia**  
« He's on the move. » Rinoa reported.  
« Heading ? » Squall asked.  
She looked at the dial in front of her and calculated the other sub's most likely location. « 0-6-5. »  
« Follow him. » Duncan ordered calmly. « Dead slow. We've got him where we want him. »  
« And where would that be ? » Quistis asked.  
Duncan turned to face her and smiled. « On the run. »  
« Heavy cavitation. » Rinoa cut in. « He's getting out of the trenches at full speed. »  
« Fire torpedo One to show we also mean business. Make it detonate in close proximity to his hull. » Duncan ordered. Squall relayed the order to Irvine in the torpedo bay.  
« Torpedo away. » Squall informed.  
Everyone, especially Rinoa, listened as the torpedo sought its target. To all but her, the sound of the torpedo faded away as the distance became too great.  
« Torpedo on course. » she reported. Then a distant boom could be heard and the shock wave felt as it reached them. « Torpedo detonated at target coordinates. Enemy sub is changing course. 2-8-9, still at full speed. »  
« Selphie. » Duncan said.  
« Way ahead of you. » She steered the _Concordia_ in the new direction Rinoa had mentioned.  
« Incoming torpedo ! »  
« Damn ! » Skywalker swore and the kids got scared again. « They must have an aft torpedo launcher. Evasive maneuvers ! Fire decoy ! »  
As Selphie steered the _Concordia_ away from the incoming torpedo, Irvine launched a decoy torpedo.  
« _Decoy launched_. » he reported over the intercom.  
While sending out a fake submarine screw signal, the decoy sped away from the _Concordia_ which was veering off. This proved to be a clever maneuver, because then, they found out that Tevarion had launched another type of torpedo. The type that locked on onto a sub's screw sound and remorselessly followed it until it ran out of fuel or impacted with its target. At a distance of several dozen meters, Duncan ordered to shut down the engines and keep calm. A distant explosion could be heard. The decoy had just been destroyed by the torpedo.  
« Close call. » Squall sighed. At the sonar station, Rinoa grabbed a metal bar to calm her nerves.  
« Indeed. » Duncan agreed.  
« How can you be so calm about this ? » Quistis asked. « We were almost destroyed. Again. »  
« But not yet. » Duncan cut in. « Back in the Western Regions, I also helped out at a naval base which also had a few subs. Due to the lack of COs, I was assigned to one of those subs as Commanding Officer. I know what it's like to live on a sub. »  
« And you've learned all the tactics there too. » Lucas added.  
« Yep. » He turned back to Rinoa. « Any sign of him ? »  
« None. » she reported. « I don't hear him anymore. »  
« Great, we just lost him. » Squall complained.  
« _Engine room to bridge_. » Moira's voice crackled out of the intercom.  
« Go ahead. » Skywalker said after pushing the button.  
« _Booster system is fully charged._ »  
« Allright, thanks. Keep it on stand-by. I have a feeling we're gonna need it. »  
« _Acknowledged_. »  
« All ahead full. Head for their last known loaction. »  
The _Concordia_ picked up speed as it headed for the _Regalia_'s last known location.

_**The **_**Regalia**  
The sub made its getaway at full speed, heading out of the trench they were hiding in. Their adversary had outsmarted them and now they had to retreat to think of a new strategy. Through the forward viewport, they could see the trench disappear as the _Regalia_ left its confines.  
« Incoming torpedo ! » the sonar officer warned.  
« Evasive maneuvers ! » Tevarion ordered.  
The _Regalia_ banked, getting out of the torpedo's path.  
« We're not fast enough ! » the sonar officer panicked. « Torpedo closing in fast. »  
« All hands, brace for impact ! » Tevarion said over the intercom. « Repeat, brace for impact. »  
A moment later, the _Regalia_ shuddered violently as the torpedo from the _Concordia_ exploded closeby. Consoles gave off showers of sparks, the lights flickered and the engines could be heard fluctuating because of the shock wave.  
« Damage report ! »  
« Some systems are overloaded, a few short circuits and no severe damage. The torpedo exploded not far away, but close enough to rattle us. » the damage-control officer reported.  
« Status on the battery powered engines ? »  
« They're fine, sir. Aside from some minimal damage. »  
« Switch to battery powered engines and drop a shock grenade and a decoy. Head for the Deep Sea Research Center. » Tevarion switched on the intercom. « All hands, we go silent ! »  
The _Regalia_ headed for the Deep Sea Research Center after dropping the shock grenade and the decoy and switching to battery powered engines.

* * *

  
XXII  
A Small Setback For Both Sides

  
_**The **_**Concordia**  
« He slipped through our fingers again. » Squall punched the nearest bulkhead. Though it hurt like hell, his face didn't show it.  
« I'm picking up a faint sound. » Rinoa said.  
« Location ? » Duncan asked.  
« Near the trench, on the ocean floor. »  
« How can they make noise when they're on the bottom ? » Selphie wondered.  
Skywalker momentarily closed his eyes and relied on his connection to the Lifestream. « It's because they're not on the ocean floor. » He opened his eyes.  
« You're saying he tricked us ? » Quistis asked.  
« He tricked us indeed. » Duncan agreed.  
« It's a decoy. » Lucas said from the side of the bridge. The boy sat on the metal deck, cross-legged and his face showed concentration. Cathy sat next to her brother in the same pose.  
« He's moving away at full speed, heading south by south-west. »  
« Selphie ! » Duncan turned his head to the navigation console.  
« I'm on it. » she steered the _Concordia_ in the new direction. The sub passed over the decoy and shock grenade dropped by Tevarion. The sensors in the grenade triggered the explosive and the grenade detonated, sending out a shock wave. The wave hit the _Concordia_, rattling the sub and damaging various systems such as engines, power supply and sonar.  
« Damage report ! » Skywalker yelled over the noise of the alarm.  
« Sonar's out. » Rinoa reported.  
« Helm's not responding. »  
« _Engine room to bridge_. »  
« Go ahead. » Duncan said after pressing the intercom button.  
« _What the hell was that ?_ » Moira asked.  
« I think it was an explosive device which sends out a shock wave when it's detonated. »  
« _Well, whatever it was knocked the stuffing out of the engines. Both of them. Battery powered engines have taken a beating but are still partly functional. The other one is too far gone to use_. »  
« The booster system ? »  
« _It got rattled, but I think it can still be used_. » Zell cut in.  
« Okay, thanks. »  
Moira signed off.  
« Okay people, time for repairs. »  
Duncan, Lucas and Quistis moved to the engine room to check on the engines. Along the way, main power was restored. As they had heard from Moira, the engines were in pretty bad shape.  
« We'll be stuck here for a while. » Moira said.  
« Not unless we get a move on and get these engines repaired. » Lucas said firmly.  
« Spoken like a true engineer. » Moira smiled.  
« Come on. » Duncan said and got to work.  
The repairs took several hours to get the battery powered engines back in shape. Duncan ordered the _Concordia_ to proceed on a heading of south by south-west as Catherine had said. Selphie complied and the engines hummed to life. The sub moved away at two-thirds of its top speed.  
« Let's get some rest. » Zell suggested.  
Skywalker told his kids to get in their bunks and go to sleep. They did as they were told, because the two were exhausted. They had been awake for nearly 26 hours straight. They went to their bunks and immediately fell asleep. A few minutes thereafter, Duncan came to the bunks to check on them. Moira came as well, wearing an engineering coverall and cleaning her greasy hands on a rag. Her long hair had been tied together so it wouldn't bother her.  
« It's good we're together again. » she said, looking at their two sleeping children. Lucas had taken the top bunk, Cathy the one below her brother.  
« Yeah. » Duncan sighed and put an arm around his wife. « But we still have that rat bastard to catch. »  
« All the more reason to get the damage repaired A.S.A.P. » she said.  
The repairs took several hours to get the battery powered engines back online and to full power. The regular engines were an entirely different matter. Those engines were also used for propulsion and to recharge the batteries at the same time. Moira and Zell worked on them till way past midnight. Then, whether the egines worked or not, they went to their bunks too. The _Concordia_ proceeded on its course on silent running.

The next morning, Skywalker came onto the bridge while putting on his coat. Selphie was already there, keeping an eye on the sub's course and speed.  
« Do we need to yell 'Captain on deck' and salute ? » she asked with a grin.  
« You don't need to do that for me. I'm not officially a submarine Captain. But I know most of it. »  
« Right. » Selphie nodded, still with the same grin on her face.  
The _Concordia_ was still heading south by south-west on silent running. Lucas and Cathy stepped onto the bridge.  
« Slept well ? » Duncan asked his two kids.  
« Like a log. » Lucas yawned.  
« Me too. » Cathy added.  
Quistis entered and went to the sonar post. But it was still a mess. « So, any idea when we'll have sonar back ? »  
« I have no idea. » Duncan shrugged. « Moira took a look at it last night and wasn't all too enthusiastic about it. »  
« Great. » Squall said. He'd come in along with Rinoa. « So, basically we're blind. »  
« Sadly, yes. » Duncan admitted. « I wish we had a passive sonar. »  
« Passive sonar ? » Rinoa wondered.  
« It's like active sonar. » Skywalker explained. « Instead of sending out pings, we listen to what's happening outside. We let the sound come to us. »  
« I see. »  
« I'll do this passive sonar. » Cathy suggested and went to the forward part of the bridge and placed her ear against the cool metal.  
« What the hell is she doing ? » Quistis wondered. Cathy shushed her.  
« We've just passed the southern tip of the Esthar Continent. » she said.  
« How do you know that ? » Selphie asked.  
« Empty ballast. We're going up. » Duncan ordered.  
Rinoa went to a console and pressed a few controls. « Emptying ballast tanks. »  
« Dive rudder at 30 degrees. »  
« Rudder at 30 degrees. » Selphie echoed.  
The _Concordia_ began to ascend. Some ten minutes later, it surfaced. Duncan went to the tower. The others tagged along.  
« Well I'll be a monkey's uncle. » Duncan said while looking at the southern end of the Esthar Continent in the distance.  
« Told you so. » Cathy said proudly.  
Moira came out a trap door in the _Concordia_'s hull a bit behind the tower and opened a panel. A thick cloud of white smoke came out.  
« Just giving the place some air ! » she yelled.  
« Right ! » her husband yelled back. « We'll be diving soon ! »  
« Gotcha ! »  
Twenty minutes later, the Concordia submerged again and resumed its course. Still on silent running.

**_The _Regalia**  
Tevarion's sub was well away from the location where they had dropped the shock grenade when the shock wave reached them and lightly rattled the sub.  
« The shock grenade just exploded, sir. » the navigator reported.  
« Did it destroy him ? » Tevarion asked.  
« As far as I can tell he's crippled. He won't be going anywhere for a while. »  
« Good. » Tevarion went back to the captain's chair and sat down. « What's our current location ? »  
« We're about to reach Centra Continent, sir. » the navigator said. « Do we take the shortcut through the continent or do we go around ? »  
Tevarion rubbed his chin while thinking. « We go around. » he said after a while. « Course : due south. Full speed. »  
« Due south, full speed, aye. » his second-in-command repeated and relayed the order.  
The _Regalia_ turned and headed due south and increased its speed to full.  
If they could reach the Deep Sea Research Center before their pursuers they would give them a real fight.  
First of all, Tevarion reasoned, he'd order the sub to find a spot where they couldn't be seen but from where they had a good view and aim. Then, when the other sub arrives, he'd keep the entire sub silent and fire one torpedo after another until their adversary was destroyed.  
The sub vibrated due to a shock wave produced by an undersea earthquake.  
« What was that ? » Tevarion asked.  
« Sounded like an undersea quake, sir. Epicentre is about 2 miles away. »  
« Very well. Maintain speed and course. »  
« Aye sir. »  
« Rolling rocks ! » the sonar officer warned.  
Tevarion bolted upright. « Come about ! New heading »  
It was already too late. The rocks banged against the aft side of the _Regalia_ and damaged the screws and rudder fins.  
And until repairs were done, they were stranded.

**_The _Concordia**  
« How's it going ? » Duncan asked Moira as he stepped into the engine room.  
« Fairly good. » she said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. « The engine problem is almost taken care of. »  
« Great. Could you take a look at sonar when you're done ? »  
« Sure. As soon as the engines are back in shape, I'll take a look. »  
Duncan nodded and went back to the bridge.  
« Any sign of our friend out there ? »   
« None whatsoever. » Selphie said.  
« I don't hear him. » Cathy said, still listening at the forward part of the bridge. « Not yet, at least. »  
« Maybe he surfaced. » Squall guessed.  
« Possibly. » Duncan nodded. « Go to periscope depth. »  
The _Concordia_ ascended to perscope depth. Duncan raised the scope and did a 360 degree sweep of the surrounding area. « Nothing. Well, he didn't surface. » He lowered the scope and ordered the _Concordia_ to go to its regular depth. « Resume course. »  
The sub sprang forward and continued on. Moira came onto the bridge and went to the sonar station.  
« What about the regular engines ? » Duncan asked.  
« Zell's taking care of the last bits and pieces. » she said as she opened the casing of the sonar unit. She had barely said it or the distinctive whine of the regular engines could be heard. « And I say he did it. »  
« Yeah. » Squall agreed.  
« Let's see. » Moira began to fiddle with the wires, pushing them aside so she could have a clear look on the sonar unit's innards. « Ah, there it is. I'll have this baby fixed before you can say 'hullabalooza'. »  
While the _Concordia_ proceeded on course at full speed, Moira fixed the sonar unit.  
« Give it a try. »  
Quistis sat down, switched on the sonar and put on the headphones. She sent out one low ping and listened. She nodded as she heard the return signal : the ping 'bouncing off' on other undersea objects and being directed back at the source. « Its working. »  
« Told ya. » she said while lightly tapping her husband on the chest with a wrench.  
« Yeah yeah. » he grinned and gave her a kiss. « Now you better get back to the engines before Zell screws up. »  
« You got a point there. » she said, smiled and headed to the engine room.

* * *

  
XXIII  
Fortune And Misfortune

  
**_The _Regalia**  
On the bridge, Tevarion paced back and forth, awaiting the report on how extensive the damage was. Why did that quake had to happen right at the time the _Regalia_ came through the area ? Whether it was Skywalker's doing, he couldn't know.  
The damage control squad came back.  
« Well ? » he asked.  
« The rudder fins and the screws have taken a beating. We're not going anywhere until they're fixed. » the squad leader reported.  
« Get moving. » Tevarion ordered. « We need to get at least the screws back in shape. We'll worry about the rudder later on. »  
« But sir, the rudder »  
« I know the rudder is important ! » he spat. « Now we concentrate on the screws ! You have your orders ! Move out ! »  
« Yessir. » The repair squad saluted, turned and headed to the airlock to begin repairs.

A half hour later, Tevarion stopped his pacing and went to the sonar station. « Anything on sonar ? »  
« Aside from a bunch of dolphins, two whales and a heck of tuna, there's not much going on out there, sir. » the sonar officer said.  
« A simple yes or no would've been enough, lieutenant. »  
« Yessir. Sorry sir. »  
« Never mind. » He turned around. « Any updates on the repairs ? »  
« We just have the screws online and standing by. » one of the officers reported. « The rocks have been cleared and right now, the repair squad is taking care of the rudder. »  
« Good. » he nodded.  
« Screws ! » the sonar officer cut in.  
« All hands, silent ! » Tevarion said through the intercom. He moved to the sonar station and lowered his voice to a whisper. « Distance ? »  
« Roughly estimated, I'd say about one hundred meters. » the sonar officer whispered back. « He's going at full speed. Lots of cavitation. »  
« Heading ? »  
« Centra Continent. No doubt about it. »  
« Right. » He went to the center chair and sat down. « Speed up the repairs. » he whispered to his second-in-command. « We lay low for a while and then we pursue him and stage an assault from the rear. »  
« Understood. » the officer moved to the intercom to relay the order.

**_The _Concordia**  
The sub sped on on its course which would take it to Centra Continent. Without knowing it, they had passed the _Regalia_.  
« What's our location ? » Duncan asked.  
« En route to Centra Continent. » Selphie reported. « If we don't do anything we'll collide. » she added with a playful grin.  
« Okay. » Skywalker nodded. « Head into the Centra Corridor and hold position at the beginning. »  
« Gotcha. » Selphie gave him a thumbs-up signal in her own usual cheery way. With Selphie aboard, things were rather fun.  
Quistis pressed the headphones tighter against her ears and frowned. « Hmm. »  
« Something wrong ? » Squall asked.  
« I thought I heard something. But it's probably nothing. The engines are making one hell of a ruckus, so I can't make sure it's our enemy. »  
« Okay. » Duncan cut in. « Keep listening. If there's even a small sign our enemy is nearby, let me know. »  
« You got it. »  
The sub continued on and soon, they had reached the Centra Corridor.  
« Coming up on Centra Corridor. » Selphie announced. « Holding position. »  
The engines were shut down and the _Concordia_ came to a complete stop.  
Quistis bolted upright. « Got him. Closing in from the rear. Tubes flooding. » She looked at Squall and Duncan. « All of them. »  
« Stand-by for 'Crazy Ivan'. » Duncan announced.  
« Crazy Ivan ? » Rinoa wondered. « What's that ? »  
« It's a designation for a situation in which our opponent is preparing himself. He's gonna make a sudden move and attack at full force. » Duncan explained. « Submarine talk, you know. » he said with a small shrug.  
« Right. » Rinoa nodded and resumed her game of patty-cake with Cathy because they had nothing to do anyway. Lucas on the other hand was looking around, gauging everyone's reaction on the current situation.  
« Fish in the water ! » Quistis anounced. « Four of them. »  
« He's veering off. » Selphie added.  
« Crazy Ivan ! » Duncan said and pressed the intercom. « Irvine, four decoys ASAP. »  
« _Okidoki_. » Irvine loaded four decoys and flooded the tubes. « _Ready_. »  
« Fire decoys. »  
« Decoys away. » Squall said after the launch of the four bogus torpedoes. That's what they were, those decoys : bogus torpedoes. They had a transmitter on board which emitted the screw sound of a sub at full speed. And if it worked, they lured the live torpedoes away from their target and close in on the decoys.  
« Ahead full, initiate booster system. » Duncan ordered. The sub jumped forward as the booster sent the _Concordia_ forward at twice its top speed. Everyone held on to something solid. « Hold position. » The sub slowed down and stopped.  
« Silent running. » Squall said through the intercom. Almost at once, the sub became real quiet as if on a graveyard.   
« Now we sit tight. » Skywalker whispered as he sat down in the captain's chair. Through the hull, they could hear the decoys rush away, luring the torpedoes away with them.

**_The _Regalia**  
The sub had risen from its concealment and had followed the Concordia. They kept tailing them until they stopped at the beginning of the Centra Corridor. Tevarion ordered the _Regalia_ to hold position.  
« He's stopped, sir. » the sonar officer reported, still whispering. The entire sub was still going silent.  
« Move us to his rear. » Tevarion ordered.  
« Aye sir. » The navigator steered the _Regalia_ towards the _Concordia_'s aft.  
« Hold position at two hundred meters. »  
« Holding position. » the navigator reported as he placed the sub at two hundred meters from their enemy's rear.  
« He's probably wondering where we are. » Tevarion's second-in-command whispered.  
« Indeed. » Tevarion agreed. « Load torpedoes, all tubes. Flood tubes One to Four. »  
« Torpedoes loaded, tubes flooded. » came the report after the torpedo tubes were ready.  
« Fire. »  
« Torpedoes away. »  
The four torpedoes were launched and sped towards their target : the _Concordia_.   
But Quistis had heard the flooding of their torpedo tubes. Four decoys were launched and the _Concordia_ bolted away. Four explosions could be heard.  
« Goodbye Mr. Skywalker. » Tevarion grinned in the center chair.  
« I don't hear him. » the sonar officer reported.  
« Of course not, you nimrod. » Tevarion barked. « He just had four torpedoes shoved up his rear end. »  
« I know sir. » the sonar officer said. « But even with four torpedoes, I should be hearing the sub break up and the metal tear apart. I don't hear neither of the two. »  
« He got away ? » Tevarion's second-in-command wondered.  
« Impossible. » Tevarion shook his head. « We fired four torpedoes. Move us to the place where we detected him. »  
The _Regalia_ advanced at half speed towards the place where Tevarion assumed the _Concordia_ had found its end. Through the forward viewport, they could see the ocean floor pass under them.  
« Target area reached. » the navigator reported. All eyes stared through the viewport at the ocean floor. There was no trace of the _Concordia_. No debris, no bodies, no nothing.  
« He got away. » Tevarion sighed.

**_The _Concordia**  
Muted cheers went up as they heard the vague explosions. The decoys had done it. They had lured the torpedoes away with them ; away from the _Concordia_.  
« You're a real tactician. » Squall said, whispering.  
Duncan merely smiled. « Status on our opponent ? »  
« Holding position at two hundred and eighty meters from our current position. » Quistis reported. The short dash using the booster system had brough the sub about half-way into the Centra Corridor.  
« Bridge to engine room. » Duncan said through the intercom.  
« Engine room. » Moira's voice came back.  
« What's the deal on the booster system ? »  
« Drained for two-thirds. We were just gonna recharge it. »  
« Good. I want it fully charged ASAP. »  
« Acknowledged. Engine room out. »  
« He's moving. » Quistis said. « Heading this way. »  
« Selphie, set us on the floor. » Skywalker ordered and went to the intercom again as the sub began its descent. « Silent running. » he ordered a shipwide silence once again through the intercom grid. A rumble went through the craft as it made contact with the ocean floor. « Deactivate all systems, except sonar, the torpedo system and life-support. Keep the batteries on low running to provide the necessary power. »  
« Right. » Squall relayed all the orders. Within the next minute, the entire sub was as silent as a graveyard at midnight.  
« So, what's the deal on this one ? » Selphie whispered when she came to stand beside Duncan.  
« We must've passed them earlier. Somewhere, there has been an undersea quake and somehow, their sub must've been damaged. » Duncan whispered back.  
« I see. » Selphie nodded. « So that's why they suddenly popped up behind our backs. »  
« How right you are. »  
« Here he comes. » Quistis warned. Through the hull, they could hear the _Regalia_'s twin screws coming closer. The sound got louder and louder until it could be clearly heard and pass over them.  
« There he goes. » Selphie said in a really low voice. Duncan nodded in agreement. The kids let out a small sigh of relief. For a moment, they thought it would be another fight.  
« What do we do now ? » Rinoa asked silently.  
« Now we keep our heads down. Let him search for a while. » Duncan said in an equal low voice. « Then, we use the same strategy he used on us : we attack from behind. »  
« Right. » Squall nodded. He thought it a good plan. He looked around and saw the same look in the others' eyes. At least, those who were on the bridge. He went to the intercom and updated Irvine, Zell and Moira.  
Silence ruled the sub for several long minutes.  
« Where is he now ? » Duncan asked.  
« Heading through the Centra Corridor at half speed. » Quistis reported. « Looks like he's still looking for us. »  
« Okay. Selphie, rise to 30 meters above ocean floor. Follow him, match course and speed. » Duncan ordered.  
« Right. » Selphie let the _Concordia_ rise up until it was at 30 meters above the ocean floor. Then, she let the sub follow the _Regalia_ at the same speed.  
« Irvine ? » Duncan activated the intercom.  
« _Kinneas here_. »  
« Load all tubes with Mark 12 torpedoes. Flood them as silently as possible. »  
« _Right_. » Irvine acknowledged. « _But the flooding is gonna be harder than it seems._ »  
« Just flood those tubes as quietly as possible. »  
« _I'll give it a shot. Torpedo bay out._ »  
On a console, one light after another lit up indicating the torpedoes had been loaded. Then, came slowly a gurgling sound. The tubes were flooding. Irvine had let the torpedo doors open slow in order not to let the water rush in but to let it flow in. Some five minutes therafter, the tubes were fully flooded.  
Still following the _Regalia_, the _Concordia_ prepared itself for battle.

* * *

  
XXIV  
Hide And Seek

  
_**The **_**Regalia**  
« What now ? » Tevarion's second-in-command asked.  
« Ahead, half speed. »  
« Aye sir. » the navigator acknowledged and set course into the Centra Corridor at half speed.  
« Sir, I don't like this. » the sonar officer said. « There isn't any trace of them. I'm not picking up any sound from the enemy sub. »  
« I don't like this any more than you do. » Tevarion said flatly. « We just have to keep our heads cool. »  
« Keep our heads cool ? » the navigator muttered. « Yeah right, in a pig's eye. »  
« Sonar ? » Tevarion asked.  
« Nothing yet, sir. »  
« Maybe he got scared and bailed. » someone suggested.  
« Someone like Skywalker doesn't scare that easily. » Tevarion said while looking the officer in the eye, then turned to look out the forward viewport. « He's out there. Somewhere. »  
« So, what's the plan ? » his second-in-command asked.  
« Load all torpedo tubes, fore and aft. Flood all tubes when ready. We're gonna make a stand. »  
« Hopefully not a suicide stand. » the sonar officer said.  
« We'll leave that up to fate and our opponent. » Tevarion said with narrowed eyes.  
The _Regalia_ continued on and passed over the _Concordia_ which had shut almost all of its systems down. Tevarion's sub passed them without detecting them. When the _Regalia_ was well away did the _Concordia_ rise up to 30 meters from the ocean floor and pursue its enemy. Even the careful flooding of the torpedo tubes was unheard.

_**The **_**Concordia**  
Duncan pressed the intercom. « Irvine ? »  
« _Kinneas here_. »  
« Can you drop a few torpedoes and activate them using some kind of remote control ? »  
« _Maybe_. »  
« I'll send Zell over so you guys can work it out. »  
« _Right. Torpedo bay out_. »  
« Hold position. »  
« Holding position. » Selphie let the Concordia slow down and hold position.  
It didn't take Zell and Irvine long to come up with a working plan. All it took was modify some of the torpedo's electronics.  
« _Torpedo bay to bridge_. » Irvine's voice echoed through the bridge.  
« Go ahead. » Skywalker said after tapping the intercom button.  
« _Good plan. Ready to drop torpedoes_. » Irvine reported.  
« So it works ? »  
« _It works_. »  
« Good. Drop one here. »  
« _Dropping_. »  
A few dull clangs could be heard when a torpedo was dropped. Duncan ordered the sub to continue on and drop another torpedo a few hundred meters further. If it was going to come down to an underwater showdown, at least they were prepared.

_**The **_**Regalia**  
The sub continued on, still looking for their enemy. The sonar pings they sent out revealed nothing.  
« Keep looking. » Tevarion ordered. « Resume course to the Deep Sea Research Center. »  
The navigator set course for the Deep Sea Reserch Center while sonar continued to search for the enemy.  
« Sir, I'm picking up a vague contact right behind us, almost out of range. » the sonar officer reported.  
Tevarion was by the officer's side in an instant. « Is it him ? »  
« I'm not sure. It could also be a whale or a sea monster. »  
Tevarion rubbed his chin. « Stay on course. If it is him, he'll make a move anytime soon. »  
« Aye sir. » the navigator acknowledged.  
The _Regalia_ stayed on course and headed through the Centra Corridor to the Deep Sea Research Center.  
« Whatever it is, is following a straight course. » the sonar officer muttered while eyeing the sonar display. « That's not normal for a creature of the sea. »  
« Did you say something ? » Tevarion asked while turning to face the sonar officer.  
« Yes sir. I said that whatever this contact is, is following a straight course. »  
Tevarion looked over the officer's shoulder at the display. A ping revealed a vague contact right behind them, almost out of range. The next ping revealed the same image : the same vague contact on a straight course matching their course and speed.  
« It's him. » Tevarion said with wide eyes. « He's tailing us ! » His face was a mask of rage and confusion alike. How did he get behind them ? As he looked around the bridge he saw the look he'd seen before.   
Fear.   
Fear of Skywalker. The same fear of him coming to get them.  
« Fire aft torpedo ! Blow him out of the water ! »  
Almost immediately after his order, the aft torpedo tube spewed out its torpedo. The underwater weapon sped on towards the _Concordia_ with the intention of blowing the sub out of the sea.

**_The _Concordia**  
« Judging from the pings he's sending out, he's still looking for us. » Quistis said, listening to the _Regalia_'s sonar pings.  
« So much the better. » Rinoa added.  
« Indeed. » Skywalker agreed. « But we still have to be careful. We're barely outside his sonar range ; which goes double for us. »  
The kids sat on a bench on the port side of the bridge, not exactly knowing what to think. Were they going to be destroyed ? Or were they going to be victorious ? Rinoa put a reassuring hand on theirs and gave them one of her angelic smiles, as if saying that everything was going to work out. The kids used this as a means to get their spirits back up.  
« I think he's catching up on the situation. » Quistis said. « He's doing something but I can't make out what. »  
« Is he maneuvering ? » Squall asked.  
« No, he's still moving on. But there's something about it that I don't like. »  
« Keep an eye on him. See what he does. » Duncan ordered. Quistis nodded.  
Time passed as Selphie matched the _Regalia_'s course and speed.  
Until both Quistis and Selphie heard a distinct sound. The sound of a torpedo closing in.  
« Fish in the water ! » Quistis yelled. « Heading straight for us ! »  
« Evasive maneuvers ! » Duncan ordered and punched the intercom. « Irvine ! Decoys, now ! »  
As the _Concordia_ moved on, a decoy was dropped and activated. The torpedo heading for them suddenly diverted and shot under the sub towards the decoy and destroyed it, rattling the sub with the resulting underwater shock wave. Everyone held on to something solid as the sub shook and bucked.  
« Everyone OK ? » Squall asked when the wave had passed.  
« No problem. » Rinoa said, checking on the kids.  
« Same here. » Selphie added.  
« I'm okay. » Quistis said while looking around the bridge.  
Duncan punched the intercom again. « Engine room, everything okay back there ? »  
« _We'll live._ » Zell responded. « _Moira's okay too._ »  
« Good. Bridge out. Irvine ? »  
« _Shaken up but still in one piece_. »  
« That's good. How much fish and decoys do we still have ? »  
« _Enough torpedoes but the decoys are a bit less. We've got about 9 of them_. »  
« Looks like we have to conserve a bit. » Squall said.  
« _Yup_. » Irvine agreed.  
« Thanks Irvine. Bridge out. »

**_The _Regalia**  
« Torpedo on course. » the sonar officer reported.  
The bridge was silent except for the fading sound of the torpedo they had just launched. The sound faded and ended in a distant boom.  
« Did we get him ? » the navigator asked while looking over his shoulder.  
« I don't know. » the sonar officer replied. « I don't hear anything. »  
« Keep pinging. » Tevarion ordered.  
« Aye sir. »  
While the _Regalia_ was holding position somewhere in the middle of the Centra Corridor, the sonar sent out ping after ping to determine where the enemy was hiding or if there wasn't any enemy at all ; destroyed by their torpedo.  
Tevarion turned to his second-in-command. « I want this sub on full alert. Any sign of him and we go into battle. »  
« Understood, sir. » the latter nodded. « I'll see to it. »  
Tevarion turned back to the sonar station. « Sonar ? »  
« Nothing yet, sir. » the officer shook his head. « Or he's being clever and is hiding or sneaking ; or he's destroyed. »  
The commander rubbed his chin again. Were they going to take the risk and investigate or move on to the Deep Sea Research Center ? He decided to stick around and see what was going to happen. « Hold position and keep an eye out for the enemy. »  
« Aye sir. » both the navigator and sonar officer acknowledged.  
Alert lights blinked on and off, indicating the sub was on full alert. The sonar kept sending out ping after ping.  
« He's biding his time. » Tevarion muttered to himself. « He's out there and biding his time to strike. And when that time comes »  
Tevarion couldn't finish his sentence.  
« Hey, what's that ? » the navigator wondered. « Aft, port side. »  
The sonar officer listened to the noise the navigator had heard. It was a distinct sound of a screw at high rotation, closing in fast. He whirled around in his chair to face his commander. « Incoming torpedo ! »  
« Evasive mauevers ! » Tevarion barked. The beeps of the warning system quickened, indicating the torpedo was getting real close. As the _Regalia_ began to move, the torpedo slammed into the top of the command tower.  
« Hull breach ! Command tower ! » the damage-control officer reported over the noise of the alarms. Water was leaking through the closed hatch which led to the command tower. Somewhere in the aft section of the bridge, a console sparked and ignited. While a team of three was busy sealing the leak in the hatch, another team extinguished the fire.  
« Damn you, Skywalker ! » Tevarion swore while holding on to the center chair. « Status report ! »  
« Hull breach in the command tower. Secondary systems in that area are functioning at 30 percent. Primary systems in command tower are offline. » Damage control reported.  
« See what you can salvage. » Tevarion barked. « I want this sub battle-ready ASAP ! »  
« Sir yes sir ! » echoed through the bridge.  
Crewmen raced everywhere, other offcers came and went, repairs were being done. Everything which was needed to make the _Regalia_ battle-ready. After several minutes, all was ready. Torpedo systems were still functional as well as propulsion.  
Now was the time for the final showdown.

* * *

XXV  
The Last Battle

  
**_The _Concordia**  
« Okay Irvine, activate the torpedo we had first dropped. » Duncan ordered after punching the intercom button.  
«_ Activating torpedo is responding torpedo away_. » Irvine reported. On the bridge, the sound of their torpedo could be clearly heard as it passed them.  
« Torpedo on course. » Quistis added. « Impact in thirty seconds. »  
Everyone listened on the silent bridge. The sound of the torpedo faded away and ended in a soft boom.  
« Direct hit. » Quistis reported. Cheers went up.  
« Can you determine where ? » Skywalker asked.  
« Hard to tell. There isn't any metal tearing apart so I think we hit him in his command tower. »  
« Good enough. » Duncan smiled.  
« Fish in the water ! » Selphie warned.  
« Dive, dive, dive ! » Skywalker ordered. The _Concordia_ shot down, making the incoming torpedo make a course correction which made it pass them right behind the command tower. The torpedo lost all sense of direction, tried to compensate and slammed into the steep rocks. The sub leveled out while the underwater shock wave radiated outward from the place of the explosion.  
« Damn, that was close. » Squall wiped the sweat off his forehead.  
« Yeah. » Duncan agreed.  
« He's moving. » Selphie said.  
« Confirmed. » Quistis added. « Target is moving coming about. »  
« Irvine, keep those torpedoes coming. » Duncan said after pressing the intercom.  
« _Righto_. » Irvine acknowledged.  
« Fish in the water. » Selphie warned once again. « Four of them. »  
« Damn, he's determined. » Squall said.  
« Yeah. » Duncan agreed and pressed the intercom again. « Irvine, activate the second torpedo we dropped. Detonate on my mark. »  
« _Activating_. » Irvine reported from the torpedo bay. « _Torpedo away._ »  
The torpedo shot forward towards the four incoming torpedoes. It continued on until it was close to passing the four other torpedoes.  
« Now, Irvine. »  
Irvine gave the command to detonate and their torpedo carried out that command. It exploded, taking the four others along with it.  
« Incoming torpedoes destroyed. » Quistis reported.  
« Good work. » Skywalker said through the intercom. He went back to the center of the bridge and grinned. « He's getting desperate. »  
« So it seems. » Squall agreed. « But desperate men also make dangerous enemies. »  
« Indeed. » Duncan agreed. « But desperate men also make more mistakes. »  
« True enough. »  
« What I wouldn't want to give to see that guy's face. » Lucas said.  
« Wouldn't we all, son. » Duncan said while rubbing his boy through his hair. « Wouldn't we all. »

**_The _Regalia**  
If he were still alive, Jennai wouldn't have stood for this. Seeing his second-in-command blunder like that was intolerable. Tevarion could already hear the scolding. Brutal and relentless.  
« Come about ! » he barked. « Fire all torpedoes ! »  
The sub came about and when the maneuver was completed, all four torpedo tubes spewed out their torpedo.  
« Torpedoes on course. » the sonar officer reported.  
« Let's see you handle this, Skywalker. » Tevarion grinned.  
« Incoming torpedo ! »  
Tevarion's eyes narrowed. A seemingly double boom could be heard not far away. First a small one and a bigger one a split-second thereafter.  
« Torpedoes have been destroyed. » the sonar officer reported.  
Tevarion looked stricken. They'd just fired a load of four torpedoes and their opponent had managed to take them all out with one shot.  
« He he destroyed all four torpedoes. » the sonar officer said with wide yes which were still staring at the sonar display.  
« Reload ! » Tevarion ordered. He was shaking with frustrated rage.  
In the torpedo bay, all four torpedo tubes were reloaded.  
« Ready, sir. » the _Regalia_'s second-in-command reported.  
« Fire ! »  
« Torpedoes away. » the sonar officer announced. On his screen, four blips sped away.  
« Reload Tubes One through Four and fire when ready ! » Tevarion ordered. The order was carried out and three minutes after the first batch of four torpedoes had been launched, another load of four followed.  
« Deal with that ! »

_**The **_**Concordia**  
« What's he doing ? » Duncan asked.  
« Holding position. » Quistis replied. Then, with a jerk, she turned around to face Skywalker. « He's flooding his tubes. »  
« Fish in the water ! » Selphie announced right after Quistis had finished what she was saying. Through their headphones, the two clearly heard the sound of four torpedoes closing in.  
« Fire Tube One. » Duncan ordered. Squall relayed the order to the torpedo bay. Right after that, Tube One spewed out its torpedo. The projectile shot towards the incoming torpedoes and detonated when the order was given, destroying the enemy torpedoes in the process.  
« That's that. » Rinoa let out a small sigh.  
« Don't get your hopes up. » Quistis warned. « Four more fish, closing in fast ! »  
Through the slowly sinking debris, the four other torpedoes headed for the _Concordia_.  
« Damn, there's no time to launch a fish. Blow out ballast ! Get this thing up ! » Duncan ordered.  
Squall raced to the console and began to empty the ballast tanks. The torpedoes closed in. Three missed by a hairsbreath, but the fourth slammed into the port side of the _Concordia_ just behind the command tower in Section 5.  
« Hull breach ! » Selphie yelled over the noise. « Section 5 ! »  
Duncan managed to get to the intercom while the sub was leveling out and activated it. « Moira, seal Section 5 ! Now ! »  
« _Sealing_. » his wife replied, then added after a few minutes : « _Section 5 sealed._ »  
« Good. » Skywalker let out a sigh. « How are you guys doing back there ? »  
« _Shaken up. Zell's got a nasty cut in his right forearm, but it's no big deal. Nothing vital got hit._ »  
« Okay. Sit tight. Bridge out. »  
With a faraway gaze, Duncan assessed the situation. Everything else faded as he concentrated on the matter at hand. Both sides had suffered damage. The enemy was getting desperate, so they had to play it careful and with their eyes peeled. And if he got it right, they still had one ace up their sleeve : the second torpedo they had dropped, waiting to be activated. Everything snapped back into reality. « Status ? »  
« Hull breach in Section 5, just behind the command tower. » Squall reported. « Section 5 has been sealed. All systems in that area are offline. »  
« What systems were in Section 5 ? »  
« The torpedo guidance system. Zell's working on a way to relay the commands. »  
Skywalker nodded. « Good. »  
Minutes passed until the intercom beeped.  
«_ We've managed to bypass the torpedo guidance system_. » Zell reported. « _We didn't get any chance to test it, though_. »  
« Doesn't matter. » Duncan replied. « How you doing, Zell ? »  
« _I'll live_. »  
« Okay, I think it's about time we end this. Bridge out. » He pressed another control to make a shipwide announcement. « All hands, silent running. Repeat : silent running. »  
Immediately after his command had been given, the sub became silent. Skywalker turned to the helm console. « Selphie, ahead dead slow. »  
« Ahead dead slow. » she confirmed silently.  
The sub began to proceed forward.  
« What's the plan ? » Squall asked silently.  
Skywalker looked beside him at his kids sitting on a bench on the port side of the bridge. « Either we win, or that lunatic controls the world. »

**_The _Regalia**  
« There go the other four. » the sonar officer reported when the _Concordia_ destroyed the first load of four torpedoes. « Second batch on course. »  
On the bridge, everyone held their breath.  
« Second load proceeding. »  
Everyone looked up when the sonar officer said that. He was still staring at his screen. He pressed his headphones against his ears and a smile formed on his face.  
« What's so funny ? » Tevarion snapped.  
« Direct hit. » he merely stated.  
Tevarion's face lit up. « Finally. Did we destroy him this time ? »  
« I don't think so, sir. There isn't any sound of metal tearing. »  
« Well, at least we dealt him a blow. »  
« Indeed, sir. » the sonar officer said when he sent out a ping. But the smile disappeared. « And now, I'm not picking up anything. »  
« What ? » Tevarion was by his side in a heartbeat. « That can't be. Did he give us the slip again ? »  
The sonar officer was adjusting the sonar when a slow moving blip showed on the screen. « What's that ? Must be a sea monster. »  
« No, you nimrod. » Tevarion slapped him on the back of the head and pointed at the blip which began to accelerate. « It's him. »

**_The _Concordia**  
« Daddy, are we gonna win ? » Cathy asked. Lucas had the same questioning gaze in his eyes as his sister.  
Skywalker knelt before his two children. « Of course. I made a promise, didn't I ? I promised I wouldn't let us sink. »  
« You did. » Lucas said. « But it almost happened. »  
Duncan sighed. « I know. But we managed to seal the leak and contain the sea water. Sit tight, this'll be over soon. » He turned back. « Selphie ! Ahead full ! Ramming speed ! »  
« What ? » Rinoa couldn't believe what she was hearing, and neither could the rest. « We're gonna ram them ? »  
« It's all part of the plan. » Duncan said and went to the intercom. « Irvine, stand-by to activate the second torpedo we had dropped. Once activated, let it follow us and then make it divert to the enemy when we pass them. »  
« _Roger_. » Irvine acknowledged.  
« Distance to target ? » Skwyalker asked.  
« Three hundred meters and getting lesser by the minute. » Selphie said.  
The sub closed in on the enemy. It went as Duncan had planned. He'd figured that the tactic would confuse them. It didn't miss its outcome. Tevarion's men were scared and didn't quite know what to do.  
« Two hundred meters. » Selphie warned.  
« Stand-by, Irvine. » Duncan said through the intercom.  
« _Standing by_. »  
The _Concordia_ moved at full speed towards the _Regalia_. The enemy tried to come about and launch torpedoes but then they realised that the _Concordia_ was too close. If they fired a torpedo now, it would also destroy them.  
« One hundred and fifty. » Selphie said.  
« Now Irvine. »  
Irvine activated the second dropped torpedo. The projectile followed them and came dangerously close. But the _Concordia_ veered off and Irvine gave the command to lock on onto the _Regalia_. The torpedo complied and went for the enemy. The torpedo hit Tevarion's sub clear amidships, ripping the hull apart with the resulting explosion. Water rushed in and the sub began to break apart.  
« There he goes. » Quistis said, listening. « He's breaking up. »  
Skywalker knew what was going on right now and didn't want to share that particular knowledge. At this very moment, water rushed into the _Regalia_ through the breach. It came in a full force, filling the sub and sink it and taking the lives on board along for a one-way ride to the bottom.  
« We won ? » Lucas asked.  
« We won. » Duncan confirmed. Though they had defeated their enemy, he couldn't stop thinking of the lives that had been lost, not about the men. There wasn't any good or evil, just a matter of perception and which side you take. « Let's go home. »  
« Yeah ! » the kids cheered.  
« Selphie, take us to Balamb Island. »  
« Copy that. »  
The _Concordia_ left the Centra Corridor and headed for Balamb Island.

* * *

XXVI  
Epilogue

  
The _Concordia_ sped towards Balamb Island at full speed at a depth of fifty meters. After leaving the Centra Corridor, Selphie had made a sharp turn and had made the sub head north. Right now, they were in the ocean between the Galbadian Continent and the Esthar Continent. Balamb Island was straight ahead, several hundred nautical miles away.  
On the bridge, the kids were jumping up and down. « We're going home ! »  
Duncan let them be. It didn't bother him much and after all they've been through, they could use a little enthusiasm.  
« What's our location ? »  
« Just passed the intercontinental bridge. » Quistis reported. With that, she meant the long bridge connecting the Galbadian Continent with the Esthar Continent. Fisherman's Horizon was situated somewhere in the middle of that bridge. The _Concordia_ had passed it by several hundred meters.  
« Okay. Selphie, when we reach Balamb Island, surface and dock at Balamb Harbor. » Duncan ordered.  
« You got it. »  
The door in the back opened and Irvine stepped onto the bridge. « Hey all. »  
« Nice work on the torpedoes. » Duncan complimented.  
« Ahh, it wasn't such a big deal. » Kinneas scratched the back of his head.  
« Right. » Selphie said under her breath.  
« Balamb Island dead ahead. » Quistis announced.

At the harbor, headmaster Cid sat on the quay with a fishing rod. Some SeeDs had made a suggestion and now, he was giving it a try. He'd just cast his line when the rod bent down.  
« It's a big one ! » Cid reeled in with all his might. A few other SeeD students, who were on leave came to look.  
« Yeah sir, you sure got a big one. » one of them said.  
But then, the tip of the _Concordia_ broke through the waves and splashed down after the sub surfaced.  
Cid and the SeeDs were almost soaked while staring at the sub with wide eyes.  
« A submarine ? » another asked baffled.  
« Better get ready. » Cid said. « Who knows what might crawl out. »  
The SeeDs took their weapons and stood before Cid, protecting him. As the hatch in the command tower opened, all eyes turned towards it to see who or what would come out. Big was their surprise when they saw it was Squall helping Rinoa crawl out of the crampy sub.  
« Squall ! What in tarnation are you doing in that thing !? » Cid asked as the SeeDs put their weapons away. Meanwhile Selphie, Irvine, Quistis and Zell had come out.  
« It's a long story ! » Squall yelled back as the students moored the sub to the pier. After Squall and the others, Duncan came out and with him his wife and two kids.  
« Finally, fresh air. » Moira said, taking in a lungfull of air.

_**Cid's office, Balamb Garden**_  
« And that's the whole story. » Squall concluded after regaling Cid of their adventure. The MAJIVE team was also present.  
« What happened to this MAJIVE system ? » Selphie inquired.  
« There was an energy buildup in the main prefire chamber of MAJIVE after our last shot which had destroyed the HYPERION cannon. » Sera said. « We couldn't stop it. The explosion took out the entire complex. »  
« Well, at least we don't have to worry about the Galbadians restarting their directed energy weapons research. » Cid said with a smile. « But I would've liked to have had a look at the data of that thing. »  
« Well, you can. » Josh said and took a small optical disc out of his pocket and gave it to Cid. « This disc contains everything related to MAJIVE. »  
Cid took it and put it away. « Well then, I think this calls for a celebration. »  
All eyes turned to Selphie.  
« Right, I'm on it. » she said in her cheery way and ran off to make preparations.  
Later that night, when the party was going at full speed, Moira went to the balcony just outside the ball room and leaned on the railing, gazing over the fields in the twilight. Her husband ha noticed she was gone and went to look for her ; and found his wife on the balcony.  
« Homesick ? » he asked while placing his hands on her shoulders.  
« Yeah. » she sighed. « I want to go back home and do nothing for the first week to come. » She leaned back against him. « What are the kids doing ? »  
Duncan looked over his shoulder at the open glass door and saw two or three heads vanish behind the curtains. « They're partying, I guess. » He looked back and whispered his wife in the ear : « Don't look back but I think Selphie, Rinoa and Quistis are spying on us. »  
Moira laughed. « Who cares. » Then, she turned around and kissed her husband.

The next day, the Skywalker family went home. The train disappeard into the tunnel and took them back to Oregonia. There, another surprise awaited them. Talinn, Ringo, Jeb, Butch, Alex and a few other men from Dyenso village had just arrived in a sailing ship when Duncan came home.  
« What brings you here ? » Skywalker asked.  
« A certain someone Cathy knows very well wanted to see her. » Talinn explained. From behind her, Archie came running towards Catherine.  
« Archie ! » she cried and gave her friend a hug.  
« A wolf ? » Duncan wondered while his daughter ran off with Archie in tow.  
« It seems we have a new pet. » Moira said also looking at Cathy play with her friend. « First a falcon, now a wolf. What's next ? »  
« Say, you guys want to stay for dinner ? » Duncan asked.  
« Thanks, but no thanks. » Ringo politely refused. « The Chief wants us back ASAP. »  
« I see. »  
« Take care. » Moira said as the visitors went back to their ship.  
« You too. » Talinn replied with a smile. They boarded the ship and set sail.  
« Let's hope it's finished now. » Moira sighed. « No more fights, no more Jennai Soldiers, no more anything. I just want to live here peacefully. »  
« I think you'll be able to do that. » Duncan said, looking at the sky turning orange with sunset.  
While doing that, he thought about what had happened in the Centra Corridor. Somewhere in the middle, a big oil stain floated on the surface of the water, mixed in with debris from the _Regalia_. Among that rubble, was a shard of Tevarion's uniform. 

Proof that it really was over and done.

* * *

  



End file.
